#and it's her first time! everyone else are returning players and she was NERVOUS!! she KNOCKED it out of the park!!!!

[wlntrsldler]

crush | sam obisanya

based on crush by tessa violet

description: you started getting origami hearts from a secret admirer. you secretly hoped it was a certain richmond player.

warnings: language-- it's ted lasso, what did ya expect?; kissing! a looootttt of smiling from sam, richmond himbos, sam and jamie bffs

pairing: sam obisanya x f! reader (she/her)

word count: 2.8K

ted lasso requests are open! | main masterlist

It started on a random Tuesday. 

You walked into the coaches’ office where your temporary desk was located– Beard nearly begged you to take Trent’s old desk because the office without Ted or Trent just felt too empty– and you saw it sitting on top of your work laptop. 

It was a red, origami heart. 

You looked around, puzzled, trying to figure out who left it, or at the very least, if everyone else had one on their desks too. You tried to catch someone’s eye, perhaps they’d reveal who left it on your desk, but all the coaches were in the locker room talking strategy with the entire team. 

Maybe the coaches did get one and they just put it away before you got here. After all, you got to work an hour after everyone else did. You picked up the heart and turned it over to find something scribbled on the back. 

“If I were loved, as I desire to be” - Lord Alfred Tennyson

You furrowed your eyebrows, holding the origami heart gently as you ransacked your small bookshelf beside your desk. Your fingers traced the spines of the books you had laying around, stopping on your copy of Tennyson’s Poetical Works. A bookmark was peeking from the top of the book and you knew exactly what poem it was. 

The small smile on your lips threatened to get bigger as you read the poem over and over again. You were sure you read the poem about fifty times before you shut the book. By the time you got yourself situated, and placed the origami heart with the rest of the trinkets on your desk, it was time to join the coaches in the locker room. 

As you walked in, your eyes met Sam’s. He offered a small wave which you returned happily. Sam was the first friend you made at Nelson Road. When you were hired by KJPR to manage Richmond’s social media and newsletters, your time was split between the KJPR HQ and the facility. It wasn’t because Keeley needed you at KJPR, but more so because you were too nervous to work at a football club every day. 

Turns out, there was no reason to be nervous. About two weeks into your job, you found yourself itching to work onsite at Nelson Road. You loved the community they built there, their camaraderie, and their mutual trust, respect, and love for each other were more than admirable.

And sure, it also helped that Sam Obisanya was here, but that was neither here nor there. 

When Keeley and Rebecca first found out about your crush on Sam, which they had to force out of you– in your defense, you knew about Rebecca and Sam’s history and you didn’t want to step on any toes– they lost it. Rebecca, of course, reassured you that it was alright with her, especially since she was with her Dutchman now. The two women would make googly eyes at you whenever they saw you talking to Sam. 

“Y/N! Why else would he come into your office so often? He fancies you!” 

“He’s just borrowing a book, Keels,” you frowned, “Jan Maas and Bumbercatch do the same thing.” 

Rebecca rolled her eyes, “But they don’t do it as often.” 

You shrugged, “Maybe Sam just reads fast.” 

“Hopeless.” The two women said in sync, laughing as you threw a pen in their direction. 

Stuck in your little daydream, it was Roy’s booming voice that snapped you out of your thoughts. You blinked a few times, surprised to find Sam’s eyes still on yours. You blushed under his intense stare and decided to be the one to break the connection. You walked out behind Nate, pretending to scribble on your notepad. 

“Y/N!” Colin called, running to catch up with you. He threw an arm around you, “How’s my favorite social media and branding manager?” 

You eyed him wearily but played along. You’d need a few more seconds to figure out what he wants, “I’m alright. How about you, Hughes?” 

“I’m doing fine, as well. Say, did you do something new to your hair? It looks absolutely lovel-”

“Give it up, mate,” Sam chimed in, removing Colin’s arm from around you, “She is not taking down your promo pictures from the grid.” 

You feigned a look of hurt, “And here I thought you were just being kind to me!”

Colin let out a long groan, sounding like a toddler throwing a tantrum, “The pictures aren’t flattering, Y/N! I look hideous.” 

You shook your head, leaning up to squish Colin’s cheeks together, “Impossible. You’re proper fit. All of you are.” 

While your (failed attempt) pep talk didn’t lift Colin’s spirits– he then went to Isaac and complained even more as he was stretching– Sam’s ears perked up at your words. Did you think he was fit? No, no, you couldn’t have. You were just saying it to make a point to Colin, right? You said the whole team was fit, not just him. 

You waved goodbye to Sam, smiling at him once again, and he swears he felt his knees buckle from under him. How he managed to make it the rest of the way to the pitch and how he managed to remember how to play football after that was truly beyond him.

“Lord help me,” Sam muttered, leaning down to touch his toes. 

“Yeah, lad,” Jamie grimaced next to him, though his tone was teasing. He watched the entire situation unfold. He knew about Sam’s pining and has been on the receiving end of many of Sam’s “Y/N is so lovely. Y/N is so smart. Isn’t she great?” ramblings. “You need some divine intervention because you’re pathetic.” 

Sam just shoved Jamie, but he knew he was right. He was a goner. 

You figured that the origami heart was a one-time thing, but to your surprise, you found another one on your desk the following day. This time it was blue. Excited to find out what lies behind the paper, you picked it up hurriedly, already smiling ear to ear before you even read it. 

“In case you ever foolishly forget: I am never not thinking of you.” - Virginia Woolf

“What do you have there?” 

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” You jumped at the sound of Keeley’s voice. She was leaning against the doorframe, smirking at your caught reaction. You held the heart between your pointer finger and thumb. You walked over to her, “This is the second one I’ve gotten.” 

Keeley’s eyes widened as she read the words on the back. She squealed, rushing to you to shake you by your shoulders, “Babe, you’ve got a secret admirer! Oh my gosh, this is so cute!” 

Keeley, bless her, was never one to be discreet when it came to all things romantic. Everyone in the locker room turned to look at you and Keeley in the coaches’ office, most with a confused expression on their face. You awkwardly waved before reaching over to pull Keeley into the covered part of the office. Sure, it wasn’t soundproof, but at least they didn’t get to see your embarrassment. 

“Hush,” you tutted, taking the heart back from her. You placed it beside the red one, smiling at how it made your desk look more colorful. “I do not have a secret admirer. Whoever is doing this obviously just has an affinity for good literature and wants to share it with me since I’m a reader.” 

“Right well I have an affinity for good champagne, but you don’t see me popping bottles with you every chance I get,” Keeley rolled her eyes, sitting on your desk. She picked up the origami heart from yesterday, groaning in disbelief, “Seriously, Y/N! How much more obvious can they get? They literally confessed their love for you in this one!” 

“I do not have a secret admirer.” 

“Who has a secret admirer?” 

You, once again, jumped at the sound of Rebecca’s voice. Her eyebrows were raised as she walked into your office, munching on some cookies. They weren’t better than Ted’s but she’d gotten used to having cookies for breakfast that she had to make do. 

“Y/N has a secret admirer, look!” Keeley ran to Rebecca, holding the two origami hearts in her hand. “Look at how cute these are.” 

Rebecca studied them closely, a large smirk on her face when she locked eyes with you, “This is Sam.” 

You blushed at the mention of his name, “It is not Sam because I don’t have a secret admirer. Now if you excuse me, I have work to do.” 

You tried your best to steady yourself as you walked out to the locker room. The coaches had finished their talk and the team was just doing some final things before they headed out to the pitch for training. 

Sam walked over to you, head tilted in question. “What was that about?” 

“Nothing,” you shook your head. “Keeley and Rebecca are just being silly.” 

He nodded, “Hey, I’m almost finished with the most recent book you loaned me.” 

“Are you?” You grinned at him. He mirrored you. “I love that book.” 

“I know,” Sam’s eyes drifted briefly to your lips. Oh, what he would give to feel your lips on his, even just for a second. He couldn’t help but keep staring at you as you went on about your favorite parts. Sam could picture the hundreds of outlined quotes you had in the copy he borrowed, different colored sticky notes and highlighters for different things. He noticed that as you spoke you stayed within the confines of the first part of the book. Sam realized later that it was because you didn’t want to risk spoiling anything for him. His heart warmed at the thought. 

By the time you finished recounting the book, you were red and out of breath. You placed a hand on Sam’s bicep, not missing the way he tensed under your palm. You could feel the outline of his hard muscles under his kit, which made you suck in a breath. “I’ll see you around, Sam. Come find me when you finish the book and I’ll let you talk my ear off about it. Only fair since I just did it to you.” 

He chuckled, watching you disappear into the hallway where Higgins' office was, the opposite way of the pitch where he was headed. His eyes followed your figure until you fully disappeared, which meant that he was not paying attention to where he was going. Right before his body crashed into a pole, Jamie grabbed Sam’s arm and pulled him toward the walkway. Sam, who seemed to awaken from his trance, shyly looked at Jamie. 

Jamie chuckled quietly at Sam. He whipped Sam playfully with a rolled-up towel. He jogged lightly and called out to him with his Mancunian accent, “Come on, lover boy. We got trainin’ to do.” 

After the fifth day of receiving origami hearts, you decided to take it upon yourself to investigate. Without telling anyone of your plans, not even Keeley or Rebecca who were still convinced it was Sam, you arrived at Nelson Road ten minutes after the call time for the team and coaches. 

You entered from the back of the facility, knowing that you had closed your blinds before you left work yesterday. If there was someone in your office, they wouldn’t see you coming in. As you approached the coaches’ office, the outline of someone leaning across your desk caught your eye. 

Bingo. 

Your heart swelled when you realized who it was. You cleared your throat, “Sam?” 

Sam turned around quickly, staring at you like a deer in headlights. He rubbed the back of his neck, “Oh hey, Y/N! You’re here early.” 

“Yeah, I have a few things to get done today,” you lied, walking over to your desk. “What are you doing here?” 

“Oh, right, um,” he held out the book you let him borrow from behind him, “Just wanted to return this. I was just gonna leave it on your desk, but since you’re already here, here you go.” 

“Oh,” you tried to mask your disappointment as you reached over to grab the book from him. Your fingers grazed his, sending shocks throughout your entire body. You looked down on your desk and found an origami heart on your laptop once more. This time it looked like a different type of paper. It was lightly colored and patterned instead of the usual solid color.  You looked at Sam, “Did you see who left this here?” 

Sam, who was already halfway out the door, shrugged, reaching up to rub the back of his neck again, “Nope. It was there when I got here.” 

Sure, you always denied that the secret admirer was Sam whenever Keeley and Rebecca teased you for it, but you would be a liar if you said you didn’t also secretly hope that it was him. You really liked Sam. Ever since you started working for AFC Richmond, Sam has shown you nothing but kindness. He asks you how you’re doing, and genuinely cares about your response. He pops in every week or so to borrow a book from your personal library. Then, he sits in your office after training when he finishes a book to talk about it with you. That was your favorite part of your job. 

The entire day, you felt dejected and defeated. You’re never going to figure out who was leaving you these little hearts. You didn’t join the team on the pitch or leave your office. At the end of the day, you found yourself staring at a blank Word document. A knock on your wall pulled you from your thoughts. You looked up and found Sam, standing in your doorway with two bags of takeaway in his hands. 

“Ready to talk Normal People?” Sam asked, walking in to take his usual spot across your desk. “I brought yummy food.” 

“Ola’s?”

He nodded, unwrapping the boxes of food to lay out on your desk. “Of course.” 

“Yes!” You cheered, reaching for your hand sanitizer. You offered some to Sam, which he gladly accepted. You pumped some into the palm of his hand and watched in concern as he hissed in pain when he rubbed it into his skin. “You okay?” 

He shook his hands to air dry them, a grimace still on his features. “Yeah, just forgot that I had paper cuts.” 

The admission almost flew over your head. Almost. It wasn’t until Sam muttered the word “Shit,” under his breath did you realize what he said. Sam rarely ever cussed, and when he did, it was because of something big. When you looked at him, he was staring at you with a nervous look on his face. 

“Sam…” you trailed off. 

Sam, taking your tone as a rejection, balled up his fist and bit his knuckles in anticipation. When you couldn’t find the right words, Sam interjected, “Okay, Y/N, before you get mad, hear me out please.”

You continued to stare at him in disbelief, unable to accept that it was him. He pushed his chair back, giving himself more space as he began his explanation. “Alright, so… Yes, it’s me. I have been leaving these little hearts on your desk. I’m sorry I lied to you this morning, but I panicked! I didn’t know you were coming in early. Also, I promise that I was going to tell you eventually. I was just nervous because I don’t want to ruin what we have now.” 

“I like being friends with you,” he started to say, then cringed at his own words, “Okay, let me rephrase that–  I enjoy being your friend, but I do want something more. I really like you, Y/N. I have never really been good at expressing my romantic feelings to people so I figured the greats could do it for me so I started making these little origami hearts with my favorite works and quotes on the back. I was getting quite good at it until I switched the paper I was using. Thus, the paper cuts.” 

“Sam, I-”

“Also, I just want to add, you are absolutely under no obligation to go out with me or anything like that. Unless, of course, you want to. Then, that would be great! I would love to go out with you.” He looked at you, like truly looked at you, for the first time since he began his little ramble. He groaned,  “Christ, you didn’t even ask. Wait– I didn’t even ask you to go out yet.” 

“Sam, please,” You laughed, getting up from your chair to stand in front of him. “I was hoping it was you who was leaving these origami hearts.” 

“Really?” he asked, breathless. His cheeks hurt from smiling so much. “You are not disappointed that it was me?” 

You backed off a bit as he stood from his seat, walking over to you. You shook your head no, “I was absolutely devastated when you said it wasn’t you who put it on my desk this morning.” 

Before you could say anything else, Sam placed his lips on yours. His hands found the side of your face, holding you at an angle that made it easier for your lips to glide against each other. Your hands lay flat against his chest, feeling the rumbling of his heart easily. As you slipped your tongue into his mouth, a deep groan escaped him, which fueled your actions. After a few moments, you pulled away from him but kept him close. 

Your arms were wrapped around his neck as you looked up at him. “So what do you think? The paper cuts worth it?” 

“Oh, 100%,” Sam easily replied, laughing as he squeezed your hips. He leaned down once again, unable to keep his lips away from yours any longer. 

Needless to say, you didn’t get to talk about Normal People, but neither of you cared.

[heavenlycloud]

i don't like the way he's lookin' at you: 6th member! reader x huh yunjin

request: lessera in states r making me insane so i have a request...... at the lakers game one of the players (or a random dude. whatever you want) is checking out yunjin/being flirty with her so reader obv gets jealous and thr two start acting very homosexual which makes the press and fans go. crazy. thank you :3

cw // VERY MILD nsfw, swearing, jealousy

the one place you fell short as an american was being heavily into sports culture like everyone else had growing up. sunday night football was a huge occasion in your house, even more so when your older cousin began playing professionally. however, you never understood anything about the sport, it simply made no sense to you. most of your family teased you as the odd one out growing up for it because football was their thing. but you were quickly redeemed when you took a liking to basketball.

as a little kid your parents put you into sports just to make sure you were moving enough and getting exercise. they realized by middle school that you actually possessed a talent for it, so they put you in a club league. up until high school you played both club and school teams and indulged in both NBA and WNBA games when they were on tv. otherwise you were watching NCAA tournaments on your laptop, especially in March.

your love for the sport remained strong even after you had to quit playing to become an idol. instead, you kept up with your favorite team of all time: the Los Angeles Lakers. so when you heard that you and your members would be attending a Lakers game in LA during your trip to the US, you almost passed out. you'd only ever been to one other which was with your grandfather as a gift. that night you got to see kobe bryant, your favorite player and sports role model, play. since then it had been a dream to return at least one more if you ever got the chance.

the entire trip you were anticipating sitting in the stands and watching the game, a dream you'd had since childhood. all over social media your fans had been trending compilations of you sharing your love for basketball, especially with your members. the most ironic part of it all was that your members didn't really have an idea about the sport- especially your girlfriend.

time and time again you'd tried to get yunjin to understand basketball even so much as watching games with her and playing them back to explain. however, all she did was smile and nod, cheer when either team got points, or pointed out the most attractive players...mostly the last one which is why you no longer streamed WNBA games in her presence. yet, she was still the first one to steal all of your favorite team's jerseys, hoodies, and sweatpants from your closet.

you paced around your hotel room with nervous jitters as you tried to calm yourself before you all had to leave. yunjin watched in amusement from across the room with a smile on her face as she secretly recorded you. sensing a pair of eyes your way, you looked up and covered your face, "stop teasing me!" she giggled and stopped recording, captioning it simply with your instagram handle.

through your split fingers you noticed her outfit and smirked at the sight. her personalized jersey fell right against her upper thigh and just covering the tiny black shorts she was wearing beneath. she took a step back with a questioning look, "why are you looking at me like that?" you answered with a smug look, "nothin' you just look good n' i like the fit that's all." yunjin turned around and onced herself over in the mirror against the wall, "y/n i don't even have real pants on." you bit your lip and walked over to her, pressing your front against her back. she softly gasped when your lips hit her neck pressing a kiss gently to her skin. between kisses you mumbled, "ion mind. like i said before, you look good ma." she felt your teeth graze her skin and for a moment she started to give into your touch. a deep, breathy moan fell past her lips and you smirked as your fingers bunched up the material of the jersey around the hem.

right as you went to pull it off yunjin pushed you away, "no y/n." you groaned and pleaded, "come on now- lemme make you feel good, my pretty girl." yunjin felt butterflies erupt in her stomach at the pet name but she refused, "no because last time i let you do this before an event we were late." you gave her a look as if you didn't know what she meant and she clarified, "don't pretend you didn't mark my chest so bad they had to change my entire outfit last minute." you let out a laugh and admitted, "n' you still looked fine as hell in that lil' turtleneck." yunjin scoffed and pointed to the bathroom, "go take a shower so we can leave." you tried once more, "you sure you don't wanna join me?" your girlfriend gave you that one look you hated and you huffed, "ugh fineeeee." yunjin hummed and rolled her eyes playfully, shaking her head before deciding on the bottoms she wanted to wear with her top.

the entire ride to the staples center you were trying not to fangirl out too much. when you actually arrived you were in too much shock to even make a scene. your members took pictures and you did the same, making sure to capture every moment you could. when you all were escorted to your seats, you snapped a picture of just you and yunjin leaned over the camera so the upper half of your face was showing. you captioned the picture, "baby's first basketball game 🩵" and posted it right before the game started.

a few minutes into the players warming up on the court, you felt a shift in the air around you....something just felt off. when you looked down towards the end of your section your heart sank in panic until you saw eunchae happily talking to your other members. yunjin nudged you and asked, "what happened?" you shook your head and replied, "thought we left eunchae somewhere, but zuha's head was just blocking her from my view." yunjin laughed lightly and patted your leg, "everything is fine, enjoy this okay?" you nodded and smiled right until you noticed a guy sitting right beside yunjin, staring...hard.

his eyes flitted to her chest and you immediately took your Lakers varsity jacket off, "put this on." the firmness in your voice startled her slightly but she listened nonetheless because she liked wearing your clothes anyways. you turned away from the guy and the second you did, he tapped yunjin and flashed a charming smile, "hey." your girlfriend turned to the young man who looked no older than 24 and smiled back, "hi!"

the young man made conversation with yunjin casually but you could read between the lines to know what he was getting at. the entire time yunjin was catching no signs or signals that this dude was clearly into her. it was times like this that you didn't exactly find her obliviousness endearing. a slight bump to your arm caught your attention as yunjin added, "and this is y/n. she's in the group with me." you gave a tight lipped, forced smile before leaning back into your seat, placing a protective hand on yunjin's thigh. thankfully the game beginning pulled yunjin's attention away from the guy and to you and the middle of the court.

throughout the game you and your members were paying attention to the game, you more than others obviously. yunjin stole glances at her phone, from the corner of her eye she was definitely texting her friends about something totally unrelated which made you laugh. however, every so often the young man beside yunjin just had to tell her something about the game. being the polite and attentive person she always has been, she listened which you knew was giving the guy some kind of message that he was misinterpreting for interest.

you knew there were cameras on your entire group so you maintained composure the best you could. however, on the inside you were just dying for there to be a brief moment where you could make yunjin swap seats with you. into the second quarter, the Clippers called a time out which gave the guy enough time to start talking again. just a moment before yunjin laughed and said, "i don't even know what's happening to be honest." it was a mindless comment but it gave the young man enough confidence to start breaking down the game.

yunjin leaned closer to the guy to hear him and began laughing at what you deemed as stupid jokes. your girlfriend on the other hand, was eating it up. you stuck your tongue against your cheek in annoyance and sakura made a motion with her hand that she often did as a way to tell you to relax. you nodded and leaned your head against her shoulder and she patted the top of your head.

simply hearing the guy speak irked your nerves enough but the fact that yunjin was actually listening to him explaining what you'd tried to explain for years just made you more angry. you noticed the way he leaned towards her, manspread so his knees touched hers, and smiled a little too brightly for your tastes. his eyes lingered on her body when she stood up, and that was your breaking point.

without thinking you placed your hand firmly on yunjin's thigh, squeezing her leg gently. you held onto her hand and played with the wristband you both wore as the game continued on. when she stood up you followed in suit, slipping your arm around her lower back and resting your hand right above her ass. you smiled smugly when she grabbed onto your bicep when she jumped in excitement over a team scoring points. when you both sat back down you slung your arm around her shoulder, letting her play with your hand that rest against her shoulder. the game didn’t even finish before you and yunjin were trending on twitter and tiktok, and you knew it’d stay that way for days on the latter. but that only brought smirk onto your face knowing that people were noticing your behavior, a subtle way of hinting that yunjin was only yours.

when the game ended and you all got back to your rooms you barely let the door close before you were pressing yunjin against the wall. she giggled as your breath tickled her skin and sent shivers down her spine, "what's gotten into you today?" your hands undid the buttons on her jeans easily and you let them fall to the floor while her jersey fell against the very top of her thighs. you picked her up with ease and her legs wrapped around your torso, her arms holding your head against her chest lightly.

yunjin laughed and looked up at you from the hotel bed, her coppery red hair fanned out against the white duvet. she reached up and ran her thumb over your eyebrow, "hmm?" you shrugged and slipped your hands beneath her top, running your hands against her heated skin and letting your fingernails trail lightly behind. yunjin grabbed both of your hands and pulled them from her body before pushing you gently off of her. she scooted back against the pillows and headboard, opening her arms and legs for you to lay against her. she insisted softly, "come here baby."

you sulked and pathetically crawled into her embrace, her arms engulfing your body and ankles locking over your legs. you mumbled into her torso, "ion't like the way he was lookin' at you." yunjin hummed for you to repeat yourself and you clarified, "the fuckass dude next to you. i ain't fuck with that guy." your girlfriend brushed her thumb over your ear and your eyes fluttered shut out of instinct. she asked, "baby, you know i was just being nice." when you let out a dissatisfied sound and turned your face further into her body she laughed.

yunjin asked you seriously, "did it really bother you that much?" you sighed and answered, "i didn't mind that you was talking to someone. i'm not finna tell you who you can and can't talk to. i ain't like that he was lookin' at you up 'n down like a creep...n' you was all interested in him explaining the game too i guess." yunjin told you, "if i'm being honest...i wasn't even listening to what he was saying. there was someone filming us and i didn't want them to think i was rude so i played along. you were the only thing on my mind anyways, i gave you as much attention as i could."

you mumbled with a smirk, "not enough..." yunjin gently pushed you from her embrace and you switched spots with her. your back now against the pillows and headboard while she straddled your lap. she reached for your top and pulled it off with ease. you still had a slight pout on your lips with your face turned away from her in feign annoyance.

yunjin leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your lips, then another one on your cheek, down your jaw, and your neck. she pulled away for a second and said, "is this enough?" you shook your head in refusal and yunjin ran her thumb across your lip with a smile, "remember you said that." just then yunjin pressed another heated kiss to your neck, this time sucking your skin lightly just the way you like it. a smile tugged at the corner of her lips when she heard a whine fall past your lips, "yunnie..."

your girlfriend reached up and grabbed your neck, squeezing it lightly, "what's wrong baby? you wanted my attention, and now you have it. " she proceeded with her ministrations and your head fell back against the pillows behind you. your head swimming with no thoughts except how to explain to your stylist that you'd need high cut shirts and long pants for the remainder of your trip.

[bachissidehoe]

A love triangle with Nagi & Reo

Nagi just never told you how he felt, feelings would be a hassle. Especially when he considers the thought that you may not return them, and then he has to deal with the hassle of losing you in his life. He’s known you since middle school, where you were the reason he studied hard enough to make it into this school. You let him live his lazy life, give him company when he wants it and leave him alone when he would rather keep to himself. He can’t imagine a better life than one with you.

Reo met Nagi and felt an instant connection. Nagi is not only exactly what he’s been looking for as a soccer player to take their high school team to the top, he’s also everything Reo wants in a partner. Someone who can match him in talent, make him think differently about himself and the world, and someone to fight for. All Reo has ever wanted is to be with someone who doesn’t care about his money, his grades- someone who isn’t trying to use him for personal gain. And Nagi is just perfect, he doesn’t need Reo at all, and Reo can’t imagine anything better than that.

You really didn’t want to fall for Reo, he’s every girl’s dream boy. Hot, smart, athletic, and kind (and rich), he checks every box. But literally everyone wants him, he can get anyone he wants, it was so inconvenient when you found yourself falling for him right along with everyone else. But how could you not? When he takes you by the hand to let you sit front and center at his practices and games, when he thanks you for taking such good care of his “treasure” (your best friend Nagi), when he flashes you a gorgeous smile as his eyes sparkle. You feel special every time he talks to you, looks at you, gives you even the slightest bit of attention. You can’t imagine anything better than someone who makes you feel loved like Reo does.

*****

“I have to tell you-”

“I have to tell you something too.” Reo interrupts you, his expression full of urgency yet slightly relieved, assuming he knows exactly what you’re about to tell him.

Truthfully, you decided it’s finally time to confess to him, it’s been long enough. He should at least know, even if he does reject you.

“Okay, you go.” You smile, urging him to go first. Your heart races, hoping he’ll return your feelings before you even have to deal with the embarrassment of confessing.

“I- I really like Nagi.” Reo says confidently. He’s nervous, but he stands tall. He shouldn’t feel so nervous about feelings like this, he always gets what he wants, after all.

“I- you-” You stutter, the thoughts flooding your brain faster than you can think of a proper response. It makes so much sense, Reo’s “treasure”, the way he’s expressed wanting to take care of Nagi, how he’s started showing up to drive him to school, how he always tries to get alone time with him. It’s so obvious, and you’ve been hogging him away from Nagi, selfishly acting on your feelings instead of trying to help Nagi explore his own.

“Oh, you’re surprised? I thought I was being too obvious.” Reo chuckles.

“No! It makes sense! I just- um-” You pause, trying to find a way to get through the conversation without crying.

“She wanted to tell you that she likes you.”

A familiar voice interrupts the conversation, where you turn to see your snowy-haired best friend poking his head into the empty classroom. Clearly, he was looking for the two of you, showing up at perhaps the worst time.

“Nagi! No- I don’t- um, Reo was just saying-” You try to save it, try to make this less embarrassing, but all you can do is fight back tears.

“Yeah, he was saying he likes me. I know he does.” Nagi pulls his bag straps tight against his shoulders, standing up tall for once. It’s easy to forget how damn tall he is when he’s always slouching. “But I know you like him, and I like you, and that’s all a hassle, so I left it alone.” He sighs.

“Wait-” Reo starts, processing the information. “You like her, she likes me, and I like you? Oh boy.” He scratches behind his head. “Is that what you were going to tell me, y/n?”

You only nod, still trying to process that Nagi basically confessed to you just now. How could you not have seen it?

You look at Nagi, who looks at Reo, who looks at you. Suddenly, Nagi looks different to you, he’s honestly beautiful. You can’t imagine your life without him, and watching him discover a recent passion has been an amazing journey. Nagi looks at Reo, seeing someone who’s helped him grow into a new person, a person he’s starting to like much more than his old self. A life with Reo in it sounds amazing. And Reo looks at you, seeing a beautiful girl who has supported him every day, giggling and laughing with him and encouraging him to chase his dreams. You haven’t used him for a single thing, thinking only of his happiness.

The three of you stand in a triangle as you look between each other. And you can’t help but laugh.

“Yeah.” You smile. “I like you too Nagi. And I do like you, Reo.” You shrug.

“I do like you y/n. And of course, Nagi.” Reo smiles.

“I like you y/n. And I think I do like you too, Reo.” Nagi cracks a light smile.

[dreamwavesexploringreality]

MIRACLES:

(MISTAKES 2nd part)

Chishiya x reader

Chishiya was a clever man; everything he did had logic behind it, even if no one else but him could see it. Chishiya liked to feel in control, as if he were sitting on a transparent throne that no one else could perceive, from which he could watch everything and know, with a single glance, the strengths and weaknesses of everyone around him. This had served him well on many occasions: in his student life, in his professional life, and in Borderlands. The games ceased to be unpredictable or surprising once you understood the reasons driving the players to survive, and of course, when those reasons could be used against them.

It had never been a problem for him, and he never thought it could be. Until she came along.

Y/N turned his world upside down when, even after studying her, Chishiya was unable to use her vulnerabilities against her. She seemed so innocent, so pure… Chishiya firmly believed that what he did had purpose, that people didn't deserve to live more than he did, and that everyone had to look out for their own interests. But that night, in that game, Chishiya couldn’t help but save her. At that moment, his ideals shifted, and when the game was about to end, and two people were needed to finish it, Chishiya no longer thought about why he had helped her. For the first time in his life, he considered it the work of fate. But no, Chishiya wasn't a strong believer in predestined plans or in paths and lines that cross, leading you to find the person you're destined for. So, he immediately called it coincidence, chance, and carried on with his life.

The man refused to think about the girl for almost a week. Looking back, he didn’t recognize himself—forming bonds with a complete stranger and, for brief moments, prioritizing her life over his own survival. But fate, or maybe coincidence, struck again. The man was about to turn around when he saw her walk into The Beach, and for the first time in Borderlands, he felt weak. Until then, he could pretend that nothing had happened, that he hadn’t broken character by helping a complete stranger, that he hadn’t been vulnerable. But there she was, and his facade was in danger of collapsing.

To his surprise, the girl made no move to approach him. “Maybe she doesn’t recognize me, or maybe she doesn’t remember me,” Chishiya thought, ignoring the sharp sting in his heart. After all, wasn’t that what he wanted… right? He watched in disgust as Niragi approached the girl, flirting as he asked her name.

“Y/N,” she said. And from that moment on, his vulnerability had a name.

A second miracle had to happen for Chishiya to be forced to face her. The girl had quickly become friends with Kuina, and when he saw them together by the pool, he knew he was doomed. In fact, it wasn’t long before Kuina insisted on introducing them.

“Y/N, Chishiya. Chishiya, Y/N,” Kuina said briefly. Maybe it wasn’t so brief, but Chishiya stopped listening when he got lost in the girl's gaze. Her eyes were different from that night—they were alive, with a hint of something he couldn’t decipher. He wondered if his eyes seemed as beautiful to her as hers did to him.

“We know each other,” the girl said. Chishiya tried not to react, and Kuina looked curiously at the pair but, in what could be considered a third miracle, decided to say nothing.

Though Chishiya thought with feigned annoyance that the trio would spend time together from then on, Kuina and Y/N seemed to have other plans. Chishiya pretended he didn’t care, that he didn’t want to be the one sitting next to her, the one bearing her weight whenever she laughed and leaned on Kuina. He pretended he didn’t want to be the one receiving her hugs or holding her hand when something made her nervous. But there came a day when he had no other choice.

Kuina had gone off to a game and hadn’t returned. Y/N cried all night in his arms on the rooftop, clutching the fabric of his hoodie with trembling hands as she sobbed, letting her tears fall freely. Chishiya wasn’t proud of what he did that starless night. Kuina wasn’t dead—he knew that. And not because he assumed or hoped so, no. He knew. He had overheard the Hatter talking with Ann the day before about something related to a search for medical supplies. They had agreed that Ann would take someone after the night’s game to retrieve items for the first-aid kit, and that someone was Kuina. But Chishiya didn’t have the courage to tell Y/N. Yes, it could be considered selfish, but it was a rare occasion where he felt he could hold the girl without feeling like he was betraying his character. After all, he was doing it because she needed it, not because he wanted to…

The days passed, and the girl seemed to take a strange liking to staying close to him, as if that night, amidst tears, she had opened the door to a new kind of relationship. And the man didn’t complain. Until that night when everything changed.

Chishiya spent the week following the tower game plagued with unpleasant images flooding his mind. How had he let himself get so entangled? He, the man who kept relationships and contact to a minimum, who used people only to escape that place… He, who had sworn not to form any bonds with anyone, had fallen in love. And he wasn’t going to allow it. He cut all contact with Y/N, rebuilding an icy wall to separate his feelings from his rationality, locking the former away in a corner of his mind. Everything was going fine until he saw her with him—with Tatta.

At first, he tried to ignore the pangs in his chest and the ache in his soul. From a rational point of view, she was simply seeking what he knew she needed and what he had refused to give her: affection, physical contact, someone to lean on. He had been that someone for a time, and it was he who had closed that door, so he had no right to complain. At least, that’s what he tried to internalize to convince himself he hadn’t been a foolish child, letting his fears overtake his senses and pushing him to act like a scared puppy hiding under a flimsy piece of cardboard. He tried his best to avoid them, to pretend they weren’t there, but sometimes, he needed to see her. And then he would walk, stealthily but with heavy steps, like moving through quicksand, just to get a glimpse of the girl, to make sure she was okay, still alive. Because contrary to what Chishiya had believed when he impulsively decided to cut her off, the unpleasant images and intrusive thoughts hadn’t stopped. In fact, they had worsened. But if there was one thing Chishiya had, it was pride, and he wasn’t about to backtrack, grovel for affection, or admit he was wrong. So, he simply let the days pass in furtive glances that only sank him deeper into his misery.

“Are you playing tonight?” Kuina asked abruptly as she walked into his room.

“No,” he replied, lying on his bed with his gaze fixed on the ceiling.

“Y/N is,” Kuina said. Chishiya tried not to show the effect her words had on him, but the woman was smart and, though she had given him space, she knew exactly what was tormenting her friend’s mind.

Chishiya pressed his lips together but said nothing.

“She’s going alone. Tatta is in another group, just like me and Ann,” she continued, clearly trying to provoke a reaction from Chishiya. “In fact, I think she’s with Niragi.” And that was the trigger. Chishiya stood up calmly, getting out of bed and leaving the room as if no one else was there. Kuina stood, watching the door close behind him, and laughed.

It was clear Kuina's words had deeply affected him. He wouldn’t show it, but his stomach churned at the thought of Y/N alone in a game. He didn’t like her being with Tatta, nor the fact that he wouldn’t be there to secretly ensure her safety, but going to a game with the maniac Niragi was something entirely different.

Chishiya watched Y/N embrace Tatta and exchange words he couldn’t hear from a distance. They were saying goodbye, that much was obvious. He could see Y/N forcing a weak smile, the same smile she used to give him when they parted before a game, assuring him they’d see each other again. If it hurt him, he didn’t show it. The man moved forward when he saw Tatta walking away after making the most of his time holding the girl’s hand, and he didn’t realize how close he had gotten until Y/N turned and found herself face-to-face with him. Her expression, which had shown sadness and barely disguised fear, shifted abruptly when her eyes met his. Her face reflected pure surprise, and Chishiya could even sense her breath catch in her throat. A few seconds of total silence passed, where all the noise around them faded into a mere echo, and Chishiya felt himself levitate, only to crash back down to earth when Y/N walked right past him without a second glance. Chishiya swallowed hard and regained his senses, quickly reconstructing his facade, which had slipped in mere milliseconds. He leaned against the car with his arms crossed, eyes forward, wearing a cold, bored expression as he tried to calm the heart hammering in his chest. The girl stood on the opposite side of the vehicle, also with her arms crossed and her gaze fixed ahead, wearing a cold, bored expression as she tried to calm her heart pounding in her chest. The girl was on the opposite side of the vehicle, also with her arms crossed, her mind drifting toward those thoughts she had been ignoring. “What is she doing here? I was doing just fine without him…” She knew it was a lie, but she had discovered soon after her painful rejection that the easiest thing was to pretend she didn’t need him when, in reality, it was all her body craved and her mind pleaded for.

“It’s going to be a long night.”

It turned out Kuina had lied about Niragi’s presence in the group. “I lie about your death, and you lie about Y/N’s company; we’re even,” Chishiya thought as he got into the car and fastened his seatbelt.

There were only four people, so the vehicle was practically empty. The driver had designated his friend as the co-pilot, leaving the uncomfortable pair in the back. Y/N refused to look at him throughout the journey, keeping her full attention on the buildings rushing past the window. For his part, Chishiya watched the girl in the rearview mirror, feeling a pang of nostalgia for her soft features, now tense, that had once looked at him with warmth.

The driver and co-pilot engaged in lighthearted, trivial chatter, and Chishiya was always impressed by the power of The Beach to change people’s mindsets; even though they had been partying just an hour earlier, they were now heading straight to the slaughterhouse. Y/N had always been a different story; she tried to approach things with a realistic optimism that made her aware of her surroundings. This had impressed him when they first met; she was nothing like the other residents of the hotel, and though it initially seemed foolish, he couldn’t help but be drawn to the comfort she offered. But he preferred discretion, reserve, and caution, which is why he remained stoic in his seat, and no one would be able to tell just how nervous, agitated, and even scared he felt at that moment. No one except Y/N. She might not have been the most capable in physical challenges or intelligence tests, but she excelled at reading people. She had been close enough to Chishiya and long enough to know that something was troubling the quiet man, something that made him withdraw, yet even knowing this, she wasn’t willing to forgive him so easily.

The buildings continued to disappear behind the car window, but Y/N felt time stand still when she sensed the gentle contact of a hand on her knee. She startled momentarily and turned her gaze to Chishiya. He wasn’t looking at her; his eyes remained fixed ahead with a relaxed expression, as if, for the first time in his life, he hadn’t initiated physical contact. Y/N watched him for a moment, waiting for him to turn toward her so she could ask what he thought he was doing. But that didn’t happen; Chishiya remained calm, eyes forward, his hand frozen on her knee. If Y/N hadn’t known it was the man’s hand, she might have thought a mannequin was touching her—motionless, barely warm, almost lifeless. But when the girl finally surrendered and turned her gaze back to the window, she felt the hand begin to trace regular patterns moving up her thigh; they were abstract shapes as she perceived them, and instead of swatting it away, which her pride urged her to do, she stayed still, savoring that unusual moment that could very well be considered a miracle.

Chishiya continued tracing patterns on the girl’s leg throughout the journey. “Abstract patterns,” she would say, though nothing could be further from the truth. With soft, steady touch, Chishiya traced the same phrase over and over on the girl’s bare skin: “I’m sorry.”

© 2024 [@dreamwavesexploringreality]

--------

Hey there, amazing readers!🌟 You made it to the end of "Mistakes"! What did you think? 💬 I'm super curious to hear your thoughts—favorite parts, surprises, or anything else!

Let me know in the comments! Your feedback keeps the story alive! 🌟💖

[peachhcs]

https://www.tumblr.com/peachhcs/768160196490117120/need-to-know-if-sammy-ever-finds-out-about-what

lowkey want sammy to go off and kevin and break up with him and make sure he deletes the video

part 4! keep in mind that in the other wonder years fics + the fics before will and samy get together that samy genuinely doesn’t know how she feel and doesn’t really figure it out until her and will go to her senior prom together — just to clear up if there’s any confusion about that!

i also totally made this way too long at 2.3k words OOPS but enjoy!! lowkey also gave kevin a small redemption arc bc it just kind of came out as i was writing lmao

au masterlist | previous part

the things will told samy replayed in her mind on a loop like a broken record. she tossed and turned all night thinking about how kevin literally punched one of her best friends all because will tried standing up for her when kevin's friends started saying shitty things. she had an idea of what was being said because she's heard it a few times before in passing and rumors circulating around the school. usually, those things would just roll off her back, mainly because her brothers taught her to not let that type of thing mess with you too much. 

and that's what samy did. she always thought tyler was a gross person anyway because of how he was always trying to hook up with a new girl each weekend. the thing that was bugging samy the most was kevin and will getting into a fight over her. their relationship had been a bit tense the past month. kevin kept saying things and samy kept trying to ignore him and denying all of it, but now she wasn't so sure anymore after finding out him and will fought about the one thing that's been making her and kevin's relationship so strained. 

"bye guys!" samy exclaimed as she walked the guys out. all of them plus marcie and kevin just finished their semi-bi-weekly friday moving night. it was kevin's first time being invited after him and samy had been talking for awhile. she was excited for him to start bonding with the people she was so close with. 

once everyone was out of sight, samy trailed back into the living room where kevin was. the boy smiled a bit, opening his arm up as samy sat back down next to him. the warmth of the blankets returned after standing in the doorway for so long. 

"so, what did you think?" she asked nervous but excitedly. 

"they were cool," kevin nodded. 

"i think they liked you, too. hopefully we can all hang out again soon, or you can come with me to some of their games," the youngest hughes grinned as she squeezed kevin's arm a bit tighter. 

"yeah, for sure. you know, i had no idea you and will grew up together," the boy hummed, his tone a bit too light to pick up on any envy yet. 

"oh, yeah. we go way back. i've known will since we were babies. he's one of my best friends now," samy grinned and she missed the way kevin's jaw clenched listening to her say that. 

"yeah, you two are really close," this time the envy did slip out through his tone. samy caught wind of it and snapped her gaze in his direction. 

"what? are you jealous or something?" she laughed a bit, tugging on his arm and still trying to find amusement in it. 

"should i be?" his green eyes pierced into her skin and samy slowly understood he was being serious. she dropped his arm. 

"no? we've been best friends our whole lives. i've never even seen him that way," the soccer player couldn't even begin to think of will as something other than a friend and she was confused on where this idea was coming from. 

"you better tell him and everyone else that," kevin muttered. 

"oh, come on, kev. our friends have been teasing us about this since they met us. it's just a joke. we've never even done anything. he's like a brother to me," samy continued laughing in hopes to ease up some of the tension building. although, she did fail to mention how her and will kissed in her bathroom back in april and how something in her hadn't been the same since. 

"i'm just saying, hughes. guys can tell and guys can feel when there's other feelings going on," with that, kevin looked at his phone and stood up. "i gotta get going anyway. mom wants me back home." 

samy didn't have anything else to say. the thoughts in her mind were confusing her along with her and will's kiss from april and then again at the beginning of the school year. those were all just for fun though, right? she made it clear she was joking and will did too. it wasn't even serious. 

"see you later," kevin mumbled before leaving out of the same door everyone else left from ten minutes ago. 

since then, samy and kevin kept getting in little tiffs about what was going on between her and will. something would happen that would set the brunette off and he'd bring it up after the fact. samy would just deny it all and tell him he was overthinking it—because it was true. right? there was nothing going on between her and will. 

there never would be. 

but then there was homecoming. the night samy and kevin went public with their new relationship and the night samy started wondering if things really were changing. 

she kept noticing the way will took every chance he got to look at her. his eyes were quite literally glued to her and it sent a funny, but good feeling through samy's chest. she kind of liked the way he was looking at her. and then when the guys jumped in for a few photos, she felt the tight grip will had on her waist and how close he was to her and she also saw the way kevin looked like he wanted to snap will's head off from where he stood off to the side. 

and that's when samy started wondering if there was something more there and maybe kevin was right. 

but he couldn't be. she didn't like will. he didn't like her. they were friends. nothing more, nothing less. 

ryan mentioned something to her that night after she got back. they didn't really talk about it, but he hinted something and she understood what he was trying to say. still though, samy chose to firmly believe that there was nothing going on between her and will. 

the youngest hughes was at kevin's house the next day. she knocked a good three times on his front door and then crossed her arms waiting for him to come out. there were heavy footsteps before the door swung open. kevin paused in the entryway, surprised to see samy on his porch.

"oh, hey. i didn't know you were coming over," he smiled a bit, but his smile disappeared when she didn't reciprocate it. 

"we need to talk."

kevin glanced around like there were other people around, but when he only saw samy, he slowly shut his door and stepped onto the porch with her. 

"okay," the two sat down on the bench his mom had outside. samy knew kevin probably had an idea about what she was gonna say, so she decided to just rip the bandaid off and stop beating around the bush.

"i know you punched will the other night at the game," she began. 

the boy's eyes narrowed and then he jumped up like he was gonna take another swing, "did he tell you that? i'm gonna fucking—"

samy grabbed his arm to bring him back to reality, "i was gonna find out sooner or later, kevin. you really thought hiding that from me was gonna work?" she sneered. 

"who the fuck told you?" he snapped back. 

"why does it even matter who told me? why the fuck did you punch him? if you didn't want him standing up for me, you should've done it first," the girl snapped right back at him. kevin's face twisted.

"well in case you wanted to know, he did confirm he liked you because he'd fuck you too if he had the chance," the brunette grumbled and hearing that made samy's insides twist but not in a bad way. 

"so what? that gave you the excuse to punch him?" 

"it confirmed what i've known all along and what you've kept denying since we got together," the boy pulled his arm away. 

"you could've seriously hurt him, kevin. i don't care how you feel, you don't fucking punch someone because they aren't making you happy. would you punch me?" the soccer player stood up so they were face to face. 

"he punched me back just so you know. he actually tackled me to the ground if that makes any difference."

"why are you so obsessed with this? why not just break up with me if you think i like him?" they were going in circles at this point. 

"because i wanna keep thinking that i'm wrong and there's nothing between you two. i wanna believe you like me. you keep fucking denying it so i'm choosing to believe you, but every time i'm around you guys i'm told otherwise. why can't you just fucking admit it to yourself, samy? why can't you admit to me that you like him?" now kevin was just pleading for some honesty and as much as samy was supposed to hate him right now, his words stung. 

"because i don't like him! i've never liked him!" she yelled at him. 

"there it is again. you're lying. i know you're lying. i can see it in your eyes. your tell is that you get defensive when you're lying," kevin pointed his finger right in her face which she pushed away. 

"well maybe it's because he's my best friend and has been my best friend since we were kids and i'm just so terrified to lose that! and maybe i just kept making myself belief he didn't like me because then it would save all of us so much hurt in the long run because dating your best friend always goes bad. have you ever liked someone that's so close to you that it just scares you more than anything because you don't wanna do anything that will put you into a position to lose them? i like you, kevin. that was never fake. i think it just..i just tried pushing away other feelings too in the process and it didn't end well," everything all just spilled out and samy dropped back down to the bench while hiding her face in her hands. 

a beat of silence passed between the two before kevin sunk back onto the bench next to her. he hesitated for a second, wondering if it would be the right movie, but ultimately placing his hand on her back. 

"shit, i'm sorry. i-i didn't mean to.." 

"no, i'm sorry. i shouldn't have snapped. i shouldn't have punched will. i shouldn't have done a lot of things," kevin shook his head. "if the feelings were really real, then hurting one another wouldn't be a question. i know it's scary, but i don't think you guys would put one another into a position to lose the other." 

"i don't even really know how i feel, but all i know is that i don't wanna lose will just because of some stupid feelings. i also don't wanna lose you either, but i just don't think we work in a relationship. i think i just need to be by myself before i even think about a serious relationship," she met the boy's gaze. it was sad, but he slowly nodded. 

"i get it, really. friend then?" the boy wondered and samy nodded. she hugged his side. 

"just a few things. don't punch my friends ever again, okay? and can you please delete that video?" 

"yes and yes. i promise i won't. i'm sorry i did," kevin sighed as he pulled his phone out so samy could watch him delete the video.

"i'm not the one who needs to hear that apology," she watched as he found it in his camera roll and pressed delete and then went to recently deleted to permanently delete. 

"yeah, i know. i doubt will would wanna hear me out though," kevin and samy exchanged a glance. 

"if i talk to him, do you promise to apologize to him?" the girl asked and kevin nodded. 

—

kevin caught will a few days later at a community soccer game samy was playing in with her club team. the blonde caught kevin coming towards them, his face twisting a bit but the brunette raised his arms as a surrender.

"i'm not here to punch you again if that's what you're wondering," the brunette mumbled.

"if you're here to start anything you better turn back around right now," ryan cut in because he did not want to deal with another fight. 

"i'm not, i swear. i was hoping will and i could talk?" kevin looked over at the blonde who stared at him for a good five seconds before slowly nodding.

"yeah, sure," will said and the two walked a bit out of earshot. 

"first, i wanna say i'm sorry for punching you. it was uncalled for and i shouldn't have done that, so i'm sorry. second, the video is completely gone, so you don't have to worry about that anymore," kevin explained and apologized. 

"i guess i shouldn't have punched back either," will nodded.

"can we just call it even? samy and i aren't together anymore so you don't have to worry about that anymore," the brunette stared at their shoes. 

"i'm sorry you guys broke up," the hockey player rocked on his heels and kevin just shrugged. 

"it's whatever. we're still friends and it's not weird or anything. we're good though?" kevin held his hand out as a truce. will stared at it before shaking it and the boys patted one another's backs.

"sorry again, will. thanks for talking," the blonde nodded and the two finally parted ways. will went back over to ryan and gabe who were curiously listening in. 

"what was that about? gabe wondered. 

"just..apologizing for real. i guess him and samy really did breakup," will explained and he watched his friends' gazes widen in surprise.

"oh shit. i didn't think she was actually serious," ryan mumbled.

"yeah, i guess. at least we don't have to deal with him anymore," the blonde shrugged a bit.

they were right though. kevin wasn't an issue for the rest of the year which meant samy and will were left to figure out what really was going on between them and how long samy could keep denying the feelings she had anytime her best friend was around.

[mqsi]

You are an introvert female Barca player. One day you forget your art work at Barca training grounds and Gavi picks it up. He looks through the pages and see a drawing of him. He than finds the name and questions around who the person is. When Pedri tells him, he decide to go look for her until it is told she left already. He then gets her address from a female Barca player, goes to her house to which the hosue keeper let’s him in and tells her she’s in her art room area. He sees her painting and dancing to bad bunny and gavi just watches and smiles as he admires all the artwork she has (some have Barca drawings with the males and female team)… you may end it how you like.

Hey love, I changed up the request just a bit, hope you don’t mind. Also @soccerwag actually did the same request, so make sure to check it out as well!

The header for this is my own Gavi drawing that I hung up on the wall (next to Pedri🤭)—————————————————————————-

The team was just finishing up with training, Gavi and Pedri being the last ones to leave the pitch. They were dragging their feet, tired from all the exercises.

“Double check if you brought everything with you, I can’t deive you back if you forget something AGAIN” Pedri said, emphasizing the again as they had to get back yesterday for Gavi’s charger. Gavi looked around the training pitch one more time and was about to leave when he noticed something in the corner of his eye.

“I’ll catch up in a minute” he said, rushing off towards the far end on the bench.

“See, you forgot something again” Pedri yelled exiting the place and waving his hand around.

Gavi reached the object and was confused to find that it’s a notebook of some sort. He picked it up and realized that it was a sketchbook.

“What?” he mumbled to no one in particular. Peeling off the cover he met eyes with himself. He searched for the signature, eyes landing on a messy written date and name that he didn’t quite recognize. Gavi flipped trough the whole sketchbook, which he later realized was a bit disrespectful but he was curious. Especially becasue it contained most of the men’s team players. When he came back to the locker room, Pedri was already ready to go and everyone else left as well.

“The hell took you so long? What is that?” He said, pointing at the sketchbook in his hands.

“Someone’s sketchbook, she must be from the women’s team cause it was on a bench” he said.

“What, really? Let me see”

“No”

“Why?”

“I already flipped trough, it wouldn’t be nice to let you as well” Gavi said, placing the sketchbook in his bag.

“So what are you gonna do with it?”

“Return, does the name ring a bell?” He said, repeating your name to him.

“Yeah, she is from the female team. I met her once tho, she’s kinda shy. Why don’t you text Alexia or someone about her adress, I’ll drop you off now”

Gavi managed to get your adress from Alexia but not without being teased. Pedri and him reached your house.

“I’ll wait here, you sure you only want to return the sketchbook?” Pedri said teasing him as well.

“I don’t even know the girl” he said, exiting the car. When he reached your door, he suddenly got nervous. Maybe this was weird and he should’ve just left it where he found it. Meanwhile, you had your earbuds in, dancing to the music while doing another sketch. The last thing on your mind was that you forgot the sketchbook at practice this morning.

Gavi rung your doorbell and since you had music blasting, you didn’t hear it at first. You went to the kitchen to get a glass of water when you heard something in the backround. You turned towards the door and decided to check. Gavi rang once again and now you were sure someone was at the door. Taking out the earbuds you opened the door. Pablo Gavi standing on your doorstep was quite the sight that you were not ready for.

He smiled at you “Hi, I’m Pablo”

“Hi, yeah I know” you said, smiling akwardly and introducing yourself.

“Uhm, so I found this on the bench at training and wanted to return it to you” he said, handing you the sketchbook. Your heart skipped a beat.

“How’d you know where I live? Also since you know it belongs to me, I guess you went trough it?”

Gavi felt his cheeks flush at the question.

“Yeah I did, I’m sorry but I was curious. I asked your teammate about the adress”

“Thank you” you said, holding the sketchbook close to your chest.

“Also, they’re really good, you did me justice. But Pedri, generous much, he ain’t that hot” he said, making you chukle.

“Well thank you, I’m happy to hear that”

Gavi focused on your face. You were quite cute and seemed nice. He didn’t know what came over him to say this, but he did and now he has to pull it off confidently.

“I can pose for you live sometime, in a cafe or something”.

Your eyes snapped at him, heart thumping against your chest.

“So you want to go out with me?” you replied, also a lot out of character. Guess you were pulling each other to open up.

“Well, do you wanna go out?” Gavi said, smiling and crossing his hands over his chest.

“I would love to”

——————————————————————————

[jostystyles]

cooler | tj

a/n: this is my entry for @antoineroussel 's winter fic exchange! demi, thanks for putting this together as always!! this fic was written for @butgilinsky <3 I hope you enjoy it dear!! special thanks to @comphy-and-cozy for letting me brain rot about my tyson jost = nick miller agenda, and @suitandtys for the title. divider graphics are by @firefly-graphics . this fic is inspired by nick and jess's first kiss in new girl. i hope you enjoy <3

warnings: fluff, alcohol, use of she/her pronouns. mat barzal is an instigator.

word count: 2.8k

The All-Star Weekend, for a certain group of guys, meant the ability to show off their skills for the game they love, and praise for being considered the best of the best. But for the rest of them, it meant something else. 

Freedom & Relaxation. 

Of course, the way the free time was being spent varied from player to player. Some guys returned home to spend time with their kids and families, some took weekend trips, and some just stayed put. 

But for Tyson Jost, Mat Barzal, and Dante Fabbro, it meant a reunion. Typically, they only saw each other during the season when they played each other respectfully, and in the summer when they trained together amongst other things. This break, though, they’d be traveling to Cancun for a weekend getaway with some of their friends from back home. Though they all hailed from different hometowns, they had a pretty tight knit group that tried to see each other as much as possible. So when the group chat collectively agreed everyone would be free for a trip, it was decided. This was going to be a trip to remember. 

“Wait, why the fuck do I need my passport?” Mat exclaimed inquisitively, his voice echoing through the speakers of the FaceTime call. 

Abruptly pausing her packing, (Y/N) turned to grab her phone off the bed. “What? Mat, where the hell do you think Cancun is?” 

“Uh. Florida.” He said, like she had asked him the stupidest question in the world.

“Jesus fuck, Mat, it’s in Mexico. Are you kidding me? Your plane ticket literally says you’re flying into Mexico.” 

As if his mind had just been completely blown, which it had in a way, Mat’s expression turned to one of total shock. “Wow. That makes a lot of sense, actually.” 

(Y/N) shook her head with a sigh, wondering how he has managed to make it this far. Out of all her close friends, Mat was the one she’d known the longest. The two of them had grown up on the same street, their families becoming friends over the years. Despite the jokes from everyone, they’d actually defied the odds to show that boys and girls can be just friends as they’d formed such a tight bond throughout their lives and consider each other like siblings. 

Naturally, they had the same friends. Enter Dante, who came into the picture when he and Mat started playing hockey together. Over the years, the three of them grew closer and other friends came and went, but as they got older, a group solidified. As they became teenagers, Tyson became a part of that group. (Y/N) still remembers the day she first met him. 

Her family was the last to arrive at the Fabbro’s lake house, as usual. This had been a tradition for the past few years, and she usually anticipated it each time. But for some reason she was nervous. She was 14 now, and things were changing. She was no longer the nerdy little girl that hung out with the hockey boys, physically at least. The thought of being in a bathing suit around a bunch of rowdy boys made her feel awkward and uncomfortable. She reminded herself it was just Mat and Dante, her two idiot best friends who would make fun of her for the color of the swimsuit, not how she looked in it. Shaking it off, she grabbed her suitcase and wandered through the cabin to the room she shared with Dante’s sisters. Tossing the bag on the bed, she quickly grabbed her book to head down to the water. (Y/N) closed the door behind her and turned around to walk away, only to take a few steps and collide with something bare and warm. She fell to the ground, letting out an “Oof.” 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry I wasn’t looking where I was going are you ok?” A voice rambled on. 

“Yeah, no problem ‘m good, I-” (Y/N) replied, her voice faltering as she looked up. Her eyes were met with the softest brown ones, flashing at her with a look of concern. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks. 

“Here, let me help you up. I’m Tyson, um, Tyson Jost. Mat and Dante’s friend from hockey.” The boy said, reaching down to help her up. 

“I’m (Y/N). Also Mat and Dante’s friend, but um. Not from hockey.” She said, eliciting a laugh from Tyson. 

He stuck his hand out before saying, “Well, here’s to hoping we become each other’s friend too.” 

Shaking his hand, (Y/N) shook her head with a shy smile. A part of her knew her life would never be the same now that he was in it. 

“...when Tyson gets in?” 

The sound of Mat’s voice brought her back to reality. “Hm?” She replied. Rolling his eyes, Mat spoke with a teasing tone. 

“I knew that saying his name would get your attention. Do you know when Tyson gets in?” 

“You’re a dick. He gets in around the same time as you so I’d try and get to the house together. Gabe, Alicia, Jay and I will already be there.” 

“Fer sure. You think this’ll be the trip you finally admit you’re in love with each other?”

(Y/N) shot him a glare. “I will hang up on you right now Mathew. Tyson is not in love with me.” 

“You didn’t deny you’re in love with him though.” 

Caught off guard, she stumbled over her words. Mat let out a laugh, saying, “(Y/N/N) you realize I know you better than anyone right? You aren’t fooling anyone. Except Tys. He’s definitely oblivious.” 

“I will literally skin you alive and slice your achilles tendon if you say anything to him on this trip.” 

“Love you too.” 

If there was anything Tyson needed right now, it was a gigantic margarita on the beach. The past year of his life had been a bit insane, and he was in desperate need of a vacation. He’d missed his friends, too. They didn’t get to see each other that often now that they were older, and cherished times like this. His flight had landed from Buffalo a few minutes ago, and he was waiting at the baggage claim to grab his luggage. Scrolling through instagram to pass time, he felt a hand clap on his shoulder and whipped his head around. 

“Oh hell yeah. Missed you brother, what’s up!” He said, turning to embrace Mat in a hug.

“Missed you too bud. You ready for the best weekend of your life? C’mon. Car’s here.” 

 

“Jesus Christ, Leesh. I can’t believe your boss let you have his fucking house for the weekend. This place is insane.” (Y/N) exclaimed, taking in the sights that laid before her. Alicia’s boss had graciously let her utilize his beach mansion for the weekend as a thanks for her hard work at her company. 

“Eh, perks of being fucking good at what I do.” Alicia said, taking a swig of moscato straight from the bottle. “Who wants a cocktail?” 

“I sure do. Tequila sunrise, light on the sunrise, heavy on the tequila.” A voice cried out, followed by a huff of laughter. 

Turning around, (Y/N)’s confusion turned into a smile. “Barzy, you’re not even through the door and you’re already asking for a drink? Why am I surprised?” 

“You shouldn’t be. I love day drinking.” Mat stated, hugging her. “Watch out. Your boyfriend's right behind me.” He whispered in her ear, earning him a knee to his nether regions. 

Pushing him away, (Y/N) turned towards the guy she’d been waiting far too long to see. 

Tyson stood there, a small smile on his face. After the hell he’d been through the past 10 months, he still managed to smile. That was one of her favorite things about him. His brown eyes looked soft, and duller than usual, and she couldn’t tell if it was from the flight. 

“C’mere you big oaf. I missed you, Tys.” 

He hugged her for a bit longer than he intended. There was just something comforting about being in his best friend's arms again. 

“Ok, if you two love birds are going to keep hugging, we’re going to get this party started. Drinking games start now.” Dante said, shoving two solo cups full of something their way. 

Grabbing the cups, Tyson passed one to (Y/N). “Good to see you too, Big D. Lead the way.” 

“I missed you, you know.” Tyson said, swinging his and (Y/N)’s entwined hands back and forth. 

“I missed you too. Least we’re in the same state now though, right?” 

“6 hours is still too far.” 

(Y/N) chuckled. “Well, at least I’m a train ride away instead of a plane.” 

As they approached the patio, the party was already in full swing. Music was blasting, Mat was already trying to get Jay down from her place on top of the table, and Gabe and Alicia were mixing drinks like nobody's business. 

Tyson shook his head. “Somebodies gonna fucking die here.” 

“Either that, or we’re spending a night in a Mexican jail.” (Y/N) replied. The night was just about to begin. 

To say everyone was fucked up would be putting it lightly. The drinks had been flowing consistently all evening, and it was approaching midnight. The gang had made their way inside for a game of who knows what. At this point, it was just a bunch of drunk people shouting things. Mat and Jay were sharing a bottle of wine, discussing God knows what under the dining room table. Gabe was shirtless, but wearing his swimsuit and dress socks. Tyson had somehow acquired a trench coat he found in one of the bedroom closets, and (Y/N) sported her bikini top and a bright pink tutu from god knows where. 

“Guys, I think we need to call it a night. We’re gonna be so hungover tomorrow and it’s only the first day.” 

“NO!” Alicia cried. “Don’t be a party pooper. You were out the latest in college.”

“We aren't in college anymore. I’m tired, Leesh.” (Y/N) wailed, resting her head dramatically on Tyson’s shoulder. 

“Boring. Who wants to play another game?” Alicia shouted, gaining the attention of the whole house. 

“How about good old fashioned, 7 minutes in heaven?” Jay chimed in, waggling her eyebrows mischievously. 

“OOOh, nice one Jay. I’m in. Who votes Josty and (Y/N)?” 

The room erupted in cheers, aside from (Y/N) and Tyson. 

“Hold on, don’t we get a say in this?” Tyson retorted. 

“Nope. Behind the iron curtain you go!” Alicia demanded, ushering them to the kitchen, where she then rolled the door that separated the two spaces shut. 

A chant of “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” began amongst the other friends, as Tyson protested. 

“Open the door! This isn’t funny guys.” 

The chants continued, and (Y/N) sucked in a sharp breath at Tyson’s seeming wish to be left out. Would it really be that bad to him if they kissed? 

After a moment, (Y/N) spoke up. “Ok, we kissed! Sent you a picture!” 

From the other side of the door, Dante looked at the picture, which was of (Y/N) and Tyson with their lips pursed, angled at each others cheeks. “That is not a kiss! C’mon, Inspector Gadget, inspect those tonsils!” 

Barzy chimed in, saying, “Yeah! C’mon, Josty. Just give (Y/N) a tender, sensual, kiss, and we’ll let you right out.” 

“Mat, shut up!” (Y/N) cried, knowing full well he was having a field day with this. 

Tyson was desperately trying to pry the door open, but was unsuccessful. His heart was beating out of his chest. This was not how he wanted this to go. 

Leaning against the counter, (Y/N) pondered, “What’s the big deal? Let’s just suck it up and french a little.” That was the tequila talking. 

Tyson shot his head up at her. “Ok, fine. But don't say ‘suck it up and french a little’.” 

“Ok, fine, let’s do this.” 

They walked towards each other, stopping when they were in close proximity. (Y/N) could feel her heart beating a mile a minute. Tyson’s hands reached out to settle on her forearms. She could see the sparkle in his brown eyes that wasn’t there before. Later, she’d come to know, that spark only existed for her. 

“Let’s just do it.” Tyson said, his voice quivering slightly. 

“Let’s do it.” (Y/N) echoed. “Do it.” 

“Fine.” 

“I’m doing it.” 

“Fine, then do it.” 

“Are you a tounger?”

“Tyson, what the hell.” 

“Well, I don’t wanna put my tongue in your mouth if you don’t like it!” 

(Y/N) sighed, laughing at her best friend. “Just kiss me!” 

Tyson was freaking out. “OK, alright, great. That’s what I’m gonna do.” He grabbed her face, his fingers gracing her soft (Y/H/C) ever so lightly. “Ready?” 

“Yeah.” (Y/N) replied, quietly. 

Tyson closed his eyes, leaning in. (Y/N) pulled her head away, saying, “I’m sorry, you can’t do that!” 

“What did I do?” Tyson asked, eyebrows furrowed. 

“Your face!” 

“My face?” 

“You can’t do that with your face.” 

Tyson burst into laughter, (Y/N) soon following him. They stopped, glancing at each other for a brief moment. Tyson thought she was the prettiest girl in the world. He always had, ever since they met 10 years ago. Just as he was about to speak up, a banging ensued on the wall. 

“Yo, I don’t hear any talking, so ya’ll better be smooching!” Dante screeched. 

“Yeah, yeah, we’re getting to it.” Tyson said, not breaking eye contact with (Y/N). 

The chants of “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” picked back up again. 

“Ok Tyson, come on. Just kiss me.” (Y/N) said, frustrated. 

“No, I’m not gonna kiss you.” 

“Kiss me!” 

“(Y/N), stop!” Tyson said harshly. 

“God, Jost, just kiss me already!” 

“No, not like this!” he almost shouted. 

(Y/N)’s face turned to one of confusion. “What? What does that mean?” 

Tyson took a step back, his face turning red. “No I didn’t mean… Nothing, I just. I didn’t mean it like that. I just, we can’t. That’s not, you know, like,” He was full on word vomiting, “Do you know like, it’s very, like, you don’t, that’s not what it…” 

(Y/N) tilted her head, a small smile on her face. Before she could say anything, the door swung open, revealing Jay, with an insane look on her face. 

“Ok, times up! Mat and I’s turn.” 

Tyson was gone faster than (Y/N) could see, leaving her with nothing but a sobered up head full of confusion, and a heavy heart. 

Everyone had since retreated to their rooms for the night, except for Jay and Mat who were probably still making out in the kitchen like they usually do when they’re drunk. Her door slightly ajar, (Y/N) saw a quick shadow while she was brushing her hair. 

“Hey!” she cried out. Tyson stopped in his own doorway, turning around to see (Y/N) in hers. She stood there in her silk nightgown, bare faced, with the look of concern painted across her face that she often gave him. 

“You ok, Tys?” She asked softly, stepping out into the hallway just a bit. 

“Yeah, Im good. Just needed to sober up a bit, so I went and sat down by the beach.” 

“Oh. Ok. Listen, about earlier. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I was just messing around, feeding off our idiot friends.” (Y/N) apologized. 

“S’ Ok, (Y/N/N). It was just a game. I still think you’re cool.” 

“I think you’re cooler. Night, Tyson.” She replied with a smile. 

“G’night, (Y/N).” 

Just as she turned to go inside her room, something shifted within Tyson. Like he wasn’t even thinking, he reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her flush to him. Before either of them could speak, he pressed his lips onto hers, encapsulating them into a passionate kiss. His arms moved to her lower back, hugging her so forcefully as if it were to be the last time. (Y/N)’s arms were wrapped around his neck, tugging at the tufts of curls that lay at the back of his head. Their lips moved in harmony, Tyson kissing her again and again each time with more push than the last. They finally broke apart, foreheads pressed together and breathing heavily. 

Tyson kissed her once more, than again, and again. He finally looked at her, his finger under her chin forcing her to look at him. 

She was staring at him, her big beautiful (Y/E/C) that he loved so dearly, begging him to say something. 

“I meant something like that.” Tyson told her, before dropping his hands from her figure and retreating into his room, and shutting the door.  

(Y/N) stood there, in complete and utter shock. She brought her hand up to touch her lips, and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

Tyson Jost was going to be the death of her, and she’d been hoping to see the Grim Reaper for quite a while.

tags: @comphyjost @tinyhockey @2manytabsopen @laurenairay @fallinallincurls @ilyasorokinn @lt-natrace

[woaddragoon-nadya]

Meet Nadya!

I decided to commit and start a new character to conquer my social anxiety! I also changed datacenters to see if maybe not playing on Gilgamesh might be easier. (No hate to Gilgamesh, I just am not a hardcore player and that's the culture over there) So she's on Crystal Goblin. Got her to level 30 in like...6 hours, which isn't great but I started in Gridania which I've never done before (all hail Ul'dah) and wanted to actually see the story.

Just finished joining the scions and decided to log off because it is 4AM. She's another Hyur girly just because I like their face options the best. But, I went Lancer this time so I can learn DPS.

Below the cut is the very long recap of the day. Moreso for me so I can look back lol. Also me complaining a little bit about partying.

First 10 minutes of running around a mentor actually invited me to the novice network! I never got to join with Alsephina until I got the return label this month so that's a new experience. Playing DPS is crazy because I feel like I'm not contributing at all.

The party I had for Sastasha was incredible. Our tank blazed through that whole thing. I got 3 commendations from that run alone which was very sweet. Tam Tara was okay, but our entire party were sprouts. Not a big deal, but it was clear the DPS and the Tank were like...sprout sprouts y'know? I am terrible at the game compared to most people, but I also have 150 hours. So I ended up helping to lead that one.

Then...Copperbell. I will now clarify that I wasn't mad about how it went, moreso annoyed that I didn't go to bed sooner. 10 minute wait time which I was okay with because it is so late. Everybody is FRESH Sprouts. Our Tank would not pull at all. One enemy at a time in the most inconvenient locations. Tank also wouldn't run through so the enemies would turn, which meant I somehow kept getting enmity. I'm used to playing Tank so I didn't really mind, but Lancer is obviously not built to be a tank which put pressure on our healer. Nobody had gear on that was past the first job quest. The other DPS got left on a higher level and no one would wait for her so the entire second floor took ages. Everybody is running for treasure not looking around.

Our healer ended up running in the front and taking a load of damage. Then they started the final fight with NO ONE ELSE IN THE ROOM. I sprinted over there so it was just me and her for a hot second. Tank is jumping absolutely everywhere, other DPS is still lost. I think the tank only annoyed me because I have been so nervous about tanking in a party for so long. I don't expect big pulls , because I know I struggled with that. Just at least pull into the next larger room and not on bridges or hallways. Makes DPS easier and healing easier. Normally, the way I've been approaching any partying with other humans is "whatever makes the healer's life easier." I thought that was kind of how everyone approached it, but I guess not. Same with not jumping around. Tank kept running, so I kept having to reposition, which meant the healer kept having to reposition. Then everybody ditched immediately, which made me a little sad lol. I have had very VERY few dungeons or 8mans where we didn't all say at least GG before heading out. Nobody gave commendations either, so I gave one to the healer.

I don't know, on the one hand it is less anxiety to play DPS because you have a buddy and arguably the least important job. On the other, it does make me want to give tanking with a human party another shot. I think I have not been giving myself enough credit for everything I've learned since my major meltdown for the last party I did with Alsephina. So now at least I have motivation to level both characters to see both sides. I could never be a mentor though. I kept wanting to try and correct the Tank, but I do not have enough confidence to tell somebody to play their video game differently.

[catsidhesilvie]

Ahhhhhhh Zilvra got big character development tonight in session!!

Long Zilvra lore and motivation musings!

She finally met her patron, after attempting to touch a shrine that granted visions to answer your most burning question/worry. Zilvra forced everyone else to go before her because she was nervous and afraid of what she might see, only for a wild fox to scurry in just in time and grab her skirt hem to stop her. (The question, by the way, would have been either "Who was it who kidnapped me to the feywilds in the first place" or "What happens when I regain my memory?")

Her patron then materializes and says that he has been pleased with her service and wishes to offer her a choice to stop her from digging around in her history -- he could either consider the contract fulfilled, take back the powers he granted, and and restore her memory (as was originally promised) now........ OR, extend the contract, since his last warlock didn't work out all that well and Zilvra was particularly useful. If she agreed to remain his for the occasional errand, he promised her all kinds of power and even to help with her friends who died (whose players are currently playing other characters...... hmmmmm something doesn't add up but Zilvra wouldn't necessarily know that), but asked in exchange that she handle the last remaining evil druid left in the woods. Then, he said he wished for her to rejoin him in the feywilds and serve him from there.

Her whooooole thing was that she wanted to escape the feywilds! That's what started her whole adventure in this game. She made the deal with this patron to get out, getting her warlock powers essentially just to complete his mission since she wouldn't have her memory of her druidic powers. The thought of her going back willingly would be totally against her motivations since the start............... but. He promised even more power, which would be useful (seeing as the party is about to fight a dragon), and said that she might like it in the feywilds more if she was as strong as she would be with a resealed pact -- that she could control some of the feywilds herself, even, to shape her own desires into reality.

It wouldn't have tempted her initially, because the whole ordeal has made her highly value freedom. Now, though, having learned of her past from a fellow surface drow in town who chanced to recognize her, she knows that she doesn't have much to return to post-adventure. That makes her slow down and actually consider the offer.

Her entire goal since level 1 was to escape the feywilds and complete her patron's task so that she could be done with it all and return to her old life and an important task she had been working on - she couldn't remember what it was, but that it was her duty. Thanks to this chance encounter with the other drow, she learned what that duty was.

She had been a druid, albiet a Circle of Spores druid -- which still placed her as "other" in her drow village in the underdark. When their home had been included in an attack by mindflayers, Zilvra had been sent to the surface to try to fetch assistance, since mindflayers were too powerful a foe for the drow alone. Being a druid, Zilvra was deemed most likely to be able to find surface allies. Instead, she vanished, and the help she was supposed to bring never arrived.

She had been trapped in the feywild, or otherwise unaccounted for, for 200 years. Now, her former home in the Underdark was in ruins -- the drow had succeeded in their fight against the mindflayers without her, but not before their town was leveled. The drow the party met explained that the matron of their house and other members of their town had recently returned to rebuild, but others had, like him, scattered to the wind, so she was free to do as she wished.

Zilvra's thirst for freedom turned into a curse of options. >:)

Where would Zilvra go, when this is all over? Her cleric friend has other friends and a place to return home to. Her wizard friend is only part of the party to finish the business of their deceased friend, and also has a home far away. The new barbarian in the party is still mildly standoffish and seems to be a mercenary only helping them for the coin. She does care for Mab, but even Mab had chosen to join the party for a particular goal -- to avenge his clan and retake his former home in the mountains from the dragon. Zilvra couldn't just invite herself to stay with any of them, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to return to the underdark as a deserter, or worse, a failure.

If she regained her druidic powers and memory, perhaps she could join a local circle and help to protect the forests.... if she could find a group that would accept her as a drow. Her warlock powers had granted her the ability to appear as a wood elf (or anyone else) at will, so getting by on the surface would be a fair bit more difficult if she only had her own humanoid face.

There was also the building anxiety of what she would be like with her memory restored -- was she still her? Did she think and act the same way? Would she still care for the friends she's made (the only ones she's ever known, given the technicalities)?

Her patron being fey, she was limited in what questions she could ask without giving offense, but he did elaborate that her tasks, should she decide to stay his, would primarily be related to protecting the wood from humans and others who would try to over-hunt or otherwise over-harvest the forest sacred to the fey -- something that, as a former druid, she assumes that she would be totally in line with.

Swearing her servitude to her patron indefinitely by doing what she would already be drawn to doing in exchange for purpose, power, and maybe even a chance to save her lost friends.... it suddenly became far more tempting than she could have considered.

SO now, two questions remain:

Can she trust her patron?

And

what does she want in the end?

Initially, Zilvra was unfalteringly loyal to and completely trusting of her patron, because she remembered that SHE had agreed to the deal to escape the feywilds. She trusted her own judgement, and his by extension. She initially kept her pact a secret, was focused on her mission above all else, and simply joined the party to try and increase the strength at her disposal with which to complete her patron's unknown mission -- but as time passed, she slowly started to see things didn't add up. Finding that she was a druid now cursed to make flowers wither was like a twisting knife, a cruel joke. Was it from her patron? Was it from another fey? Her patron being silent after her friends died and she had thought she'd completed her patron's mission also made her frustrated and wary, and the question of WHY she needed to have her memories suppressed continued to fester.

Meeting her patron now and having it confirmed from his own mouth that HE didn't want her to remember anything to keep her useful to him caused her suspicion to compound. For him to not want her to remember, to go so far as to travel into the material plane to stop her moments before touching something that would give her an answer to a question she hadn't stated, there must be something he has her doing that would go against her true self -- she just can't imagine what, unless she either wouldn't have been willing to work with him specifically, or if she did have something else important out there waiting for her. There's also the possibility that I haven't had her think of yet where she could have been a Talos-following druid herself -- not all druids are good druids! And oh man that would be a twist, having her hunt down and murder the druids that she had been seeking :O

Ultimately, she made a smaller bargain with him: she continues to serve him for now, and will defeat the last remaining evil druid in the area. The party will use her warlock powers as well to try and make progress in defeating this dragon. In one month, her patron will return with the same offer, and she will decide whether to give up all her warlock powers in exchange for her memory, and possibly returned druidic powers.... or, she will choose to sign a permanent contract in exchange for greater powers and assistance with her deceased friends, and eventually return to the feywilds with her patron.

Knowing the way time works in the feywilds, she warns the party she doesn't know if they will see him in a few days or a few years -- but that she has bought time. If it seems that they won't be able to defeat the dragon that terrorizes the area on their own, she could take that power to help.

I think, character-wise, it makes the most sense for Zilvra to reject her patron's offer. While she is tempted by her friends being somehow savable from death, the cleric of the party pointed out to her that it sounded fishy, so a seed of doubt exists to compete with her guilt over their deaths coming from a fight for her personal quest.

She will always be curious about her past, and she wanted to leave the feywilds. I think if the party gives her any indication that they will support her when she gets her memories back, or gives any idea of where she could go after this fight is over, she will choose to regain her memories, hoping that the experiences which she has gone through with them will stay with her and prevent her from being aggressive to them as non-drow.

That said, I don't anticipate that the DM will be swapping her class just before the final battle.... so I'd imagine that she won't hear from her patron again until at least just before the final confrontation with the dragon, and she might be able to ask to keep the powers for just one more fight.

AND there is always the chance that the DM is tricky and makes it so Zilvra doesn't reallly get the choice -- either she thinks she has to take the power to succeed, or she learns more about her past and does NOT jive with it.

Ofc then there is the bit where I decided to make Zilvra's downtime activity for the next few days as they await the Festival of the Moon researching local druidic groups and drow druids, sneakily, to see if she can discover any bit of history about herself from the surface before she was kidnapped by fey. If her patron catches her, that could be a whole ordeal bahaha.

I'm down for anything but ahh this is so fun :D

[ashbrat488]

Foul Play - Chapter 22

Millicent clung nervously to Henry's hand as they entered his parents' house. Reluctantly, she handed over her coat. "Don't be nervous, Shortcake," he whispered, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze before leading her into the kitchen. The room fell silent as they entered.

"Everyone, this is Millicent... my girlfriend," Henry announced with a wide grin, emphasizing the word 'girlfriend.' Millicent smiled back, her nervousness easing as she playfully nudged his shoulder.

His mother, Marianne, stepped forward to introduce herself first. "I'm Marianne, and this is my husband, Colin." She motioned to Henry's father on her right, and with a warm smile, pulled Millicent into a hug before she could react, leaving her feeling slightly awkward. Henry sighed and intervened, "Mama, personal space, please."

"It's okay," Millicent mumbled, allowing Marianne's arm around her shoulders as she turned toward the rest of the family. "And these are Henry's older brothers, Piers, Nik, and Simon, and their wives."

Millicent timidly raised her hand in greeting as Henry gently moved her away from his mother's enthusiastic embrace. "You didn't tell me your family was so big, Henry..."

"I didn't want to scare you away before you even got here," he admitted with a teasing chuckle.

"Sneaky," she replied, a playful gleam in her eyes, as Henry chuckled and kissed her temple before offering her a seat at the table and sitting beside her.

Glancing around the table, Millicent noticed that most of Henry's family members were still watching her. She took a sip of her water as dishes were passed around. "Let me guess, Henry has never brought a girl home before?"

Laughter erupted around the table, confirming her suspicion, and she saw Henry blush slightly. Colin spoke up once the laughter subsided, "What's a pretty girl like you doing with Henry to begin with?"

"Dad..." Henry groaned, but Millicent found his father's curiosity endearing.

"He wore me down, I guess." She nudged his shoulder teasingly as he chuckled.

"You're American? What's the story there?" Colin inquired next as Henry sighed annoyed beside her.

"It's fine," she reassured, and then proceeded to share her story. "My mother was American. She did a semester over here, slept with my dad, and found out she was pregnant when she returned home. I met my dad when I was 16 through one of those DNA tests. When my mom passed away, he asked if I wanted to move here with him, and he could get me into college. So, I accepted."

"And what is your degree?" Colin inquired.

"I want to be a lawyer," Millicent answered, pausing to consider the terminology. "Or, I guess you call it a solicitor here? Or a barrister? I haven't chosen my path yet. Although I'm generally shy, there's something exciting about potentially pleading your case in court."

Colin chuckled; his eyes filled with pride. "A solicitor. That's great. It was a pain trying to get Henry to go to college and obtain a degree. I'm still hoping that he leaves his childish dream of being a rugby player behind and becomes a solicitor too."

"Dad..." Henry groaned again, and Millicent saw him hang his head down, pushing food around his plate.

She reached out and rested her hand on his thigh, giving it a supportive squeeze. "Well, he's really great, and I believe in him."

Marianne smiled warmly as Henry lifted his head to smile at Millicent. "You guys are cute."

"Yeah, what did you do to get this girl, Henry?" His oldest brother, Piers, teased, and Henry shrugged modestly.

"Just lucky, I guess."

"At least you'll have a level-headed woman at your side when you realize it's time to hang up your dream and get an adult job," Colin chimed in, grinning.

"Can we please talk about something else, please?" Henry requested, his tone becoming more serious as Colin sighed and everyone broke off into smaller conversations.

Millicent discreetly took Henry's hand under the table, making him look at her. She smiled and leaned closer, whispering softly in his ear, "I'm sorry about them. I believe in you."

"Thank you, Milly," he replied softly, nuzzling her nose with his before planting a sweet kiss on her lips and returning to his meal.

***

"So, I'm really the first girlfriend, huh?" Millicent asked Marianne as the two women worked together to clean up the kitchen, while the men retreated to the lounge for drinks and conversation.

Marianne chuckled, and one of Henry's sisters-in-law chimed in, "First girlfriend, no. First girl he brought home, yes."

Millicent laughed in agreement, nodding as she dried some plates. "Right. Well, thank you for having me. I'm not used to having such a large family around. I'm an only child, and it was just my mom and me. And now it's just my dad and me."

"You're welcome here anytime, sweetheart," Marianne said warmly, patting Millicent on the shoulder reassuringly. "I can see how smitten Henry is with you."

"I appreciate that. Thank you, Mrs. Cavill."

"Marianne is fine, dear."

"Thank you, Marianne," Millicent replied, her cheeks tinged with a slight blush.

***

Millicent turned to Henry as he began to drive her home. "I like your family. Though they're quite loud."

Henry laughed, his hand resting on her thigh. "Yeah, maybe I should have warned you. I didn't want to scare you away. Hopefully, I still haven't?"

"You haven't," she replied, leaning to rest her head on his arm. "In fact, I already told my dad that I'll be spending the night with you at your apartment... if that's okay?"

"Really?" Henry turned to her with a wide grin, and she nodded. "You want to spend the night with me?"

"I do."

Chapter 23

Taglist: @kingliam2019

[ritualoftheancients]

Ritual of the Ancients Chapter 17: You Can't Save Everyone

by Roan Rosser

This is a chapter of a complete vampire novel with a trans-masc main character and a gay romance subplot. New Chapters are posted every Sunday. If you like the novel and want to support the author, ebook and paperback copies can be purchased here.

*****

I paced while Jack sat back down on the couch. “So, what’s the plan then?”

“Let’s try the easiest route first: calling them.” Jack pulled a new prepaid cellphone out of his pocket and then looked expectantly at me. “And come sit down. You’re making me nervous with all that pacing.”

“Won’t she be tracing any calls that come into their number?” I asked, whirling to face Jack.

“Probably, but tracing takes time. We’ll start a timer, no longer than thirty seconds on the phone, then I hang up no matter what.” Jack patted the couch cushion next to him, and I came over and sat on the edge. My leg jumped, and I tapped my foot. I wanted to move, go somewhere, do something, and was having a hard time sitting still.

Jack put the phone to his ear, listening to it ring. After a moment he put it down again. “No answer. Do you have any other way to reach them?”

“That was their house phone. They both have cellphones.” I gave him my mom’s number first.

“No answer.”

“Try my dad’s cell.”

I stared at Jack impatiently, groaning when he again lowered the phone without saying anything.

“Nothing?” My panic was returning. “Why aren’t they answering?” My voice raised and cracked at the end. I was sure I sounded like a teenager, but I was too panicked to be embarrassed.

“You have no idea at all where they could be?” Jack looked at me with a frown. “It’s past nine, so I’m surprised that they aren’t home, but it is Friday night. Date night, maybe?”

I shook my head. “No, not really. Maybe we could try my brother? We can get his number from the local directory.”

“Better not to get anyone else involved if we can help it,” Jack said, crossing his arms. “Do they have any favorite restaurants they’d be at, anything like that?”

“There is one thing,” I said slowly. “Where’s the tablet?” Without waiting for an answer, I jumped up and jogged into the kitchen where I’d left it. I laid the tablet on the coffee table so Jack wouldn’t see how bad my hands were shaking as I typed in the group’s website, then navigated to the “Events” tab to find my worst fears confirmed. “Shit!” I jumped to my feet to stomp around the living room.

“What?” Jack leaned over the tablet and read the page out loud. “May Crown Tournament.” He looked up at me with an amused smile. “Your parents are role-players?”

“Kinda. My mom loves period costuming and sewing, and the group is a great excuse for her to sew new outfits for the whole family.” Feeling a little better for the stomping, I knelt on the other side of the coffee table to reach the tablet. I scrolled down the page and pointed to a line in the schedule. “That’s why they aren’t home and aren’t answering their phones.”

“Bardic circle,” Jack read, then glanced back up at me, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I don’t know that dressing up and singing merit that deep of a scowl.”

“It’s not the singing, it’s the damn dressing up.” I pushed up from the coffee table and glared down at the tablet. “Growing up, she was always dragging me to those things. After five boys, I was her only ‘girl’,” I made air quotes around the word, “and she was so excited to make dresses for me. She treated me like her doll. Frilly lace and corsets, and god, I hated it so much.” I felt like punching something just talking about it. Stomping across the room helped only so much. “We were always fighting about it.” I scowled harder and crossed my arms.

“Well, no dressing up this time,” Jack said in an understanding voice.

“So what does this circle have to do with not answering their phones?”

“It’s really discouraged to answer a cellphone at these events, especially at the bardic circles.”

“So we leave them a message telling them they are in danger, and to go to the police.” Jack bent over the tablet again. “This says quiet hours start at ten, so they’ll get the message when they get home for the night.

I groaned. “Knowing how seriously my mom takes these things, they left their phones at home. Besides, the police are a bad idea. Lady Ann has cops on her payroll. Remember those cops who showed up at my apartment?”

Jack nodded.

“Remember I told you I went to talk to one of them? They work for her.” I moved around to sit back down next to Jack and covered my face with my hands. “How are we going to get a message to them now?”

“You mentioned five brothers? Do they all live in town?”

I leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees. “No, just my brother Michael, two years older than me. He works at Dad’s garage. All my other brothers moved away. They’re scattered all over the country. Why?”

“Just trying to figure out who else she might go after next.” Jack sighed. “Alright, let’s give your brother Michael a call, since he’d be the next logical choice for her to go after anyway.”

“Thank you.” I raised my head and gave Jack a grateful smile.

I looked up Michael’s number through my email account, since my cellphone was long gone, and read the number off to Jack. I reached for the phone, but Jack shook his head, switching hands to hold the phone on the side away from me. “No, too dangerous. In case he’s already involved, let me do the—”

Michael must have answered, because Jack cut himself off abruptly.

“Hello, Michael? This is Detective Jack Petty.” There was a pause.

I raised my eyebrows at this lie. Jack saw and waved me off with a smile. “No, the reason I’m calling is about your brother, Everett.”

“What!” I blurted out. Jack’s free hand swung up and clamped over my mouth before I could say anything else.

“Sorry about that. Yes, no, your brother is fine. He’s in police custody right now—”

Jack glanced at me. I lifted a hand to make a zipping motion across my lips. Jack nodded and let go.

“So you haven’t seen the news?” Jack asked, and then paused again. I was dying of curiosity about what my brother was saying on the other end of the line. Why didn’t vampires get enhanced hearing like the movies? I leaned closer, trying to hear, but Jack pushed me away.

“I don’t have time to go over the details of your brother’s case with you at this time. I’m calling you about another urgent matter. We have reason to suspect that you and your parents’ lives are in danger. However, we’ve been unable to reach your parents. Where are you right now?”

Jack glanced at me and frowned. “Well, that is good news. Please stay where you are for now. You should be safe in Miami. We have reason to believe the threat is local to Portland.”

Another pause, and I fidgeted nervously. My stomach sank at the mention of Miami. Although I was happy that Michael was out of town, which should mean he would be out of Lady Ann’s reach, it meant that he couldn’t go by and warn our parents. I hoped this was for the gay cruise he’d mentioned last time we’d talked. He deserved to be able to cut loose away from our ultra-conservative parents.

“Yes, do you have any other way to reach them?” Jack paused again. “Hood River County Fairgrounds, got it. We’ll send a few officers by there to check on them. Thank you for the information.”

Jack hung up and lowered the phone, then gave me a sympathetic look. “I take it you overheard? Michael confirmed your hunch about where your parents are. He said the only way to reach them is going to be going by in person. The good news is that he’s on vacation in Miami, so he’ll be safe.”

“So, who can we call?” I stared back at Jack. “And who’s Jack Petty? I thought from that memory I saw that your last name is Prashad.”

“It was Prashad. Since I went into the supernatural’s version of wit-sec for outed supernaturals, it’s been Jack Smith.”

I made a face and Jack laughed.

“I know, believe me, but I didn’t get a choice. They insisted on nice and generic. I’m just glad they let me keep my first name. Anyway, I’m not going to give out my real name, am I?”

“I guess not, but you didn’t answer my first question.”

“I didn’t answer because we aren’t going to do anything else. We’ve pushed our luck as it is.” Jack held up a hand to forestall my protests. “We can’t get anyone else involved, and we have no way to warn them by phone.”

“It’s only an hour’s drive up there,” I pleaded. “We go up there, warn them, come back. No one even has to know we left.”

“I’d know.” Jack looked uncomfortable. “It’s just too dangerous. You know she’s going to have people watching them. Besides, we both know that a warning probably won’t make any difference. If she wants them dead, there’s really nothing we can do to stop it.”

“So why help me try to call them?” I clasped my hands together and made a pleading look.

“Everett, I was helping you mostly for your piece of mind. You’re just going to have to accept the fact that you won’t get to make up with them.”

“If we disguise ourselves, they won’t know who we are. Besides, they’ll be looking for one person, not two.”

Jack shook his head. “No.”

“I can use my speed to get in and out. Lady Ann’s thugs will be human. They’ll never even see me.” I lifted my hand, palm towards Jack, and put the other one over my heart. “Scout’s honor.”

“Alright, let’s play this game.” Jack shifted to face me. He started ticking points off on his finger. ”If you manage to speed or sneak past the guards— who are by the way, probably well-trained mercenaries or ex-military—and then if you manage to find your parents’ tent in a dark field filled with near identical tents, how do you convince them of the danger?”

I frowned and stayed silent for a moment while Jack looked at me expectantly. “Well, Michael seemed to take you seriously,” I said finally.

Jack shook his head. “He thought I was a cop. These are your parents who from the sound of things, haven’t listened to you very well in the past.” Jack waved a hand. “Okay, let’s skip that and pretend they do listen. How do you get them to safety, back out past Lady Ann’s guards? Without,” Jack fixed me with a glare, “revealing you are a vampire. Top secret, remember?”

“I guess I didn’t think that far ahead,” I admitted. “Forewarned is forearmed. Once they know about the threat, they should be okay, right?”

“You’re the youngest of six, was it?”

I nodded, not seeing where Jack was going. “Yeah, so?”

“How old are your parents, Everett?”

“They’re both almost sixty, but my dad’s a mechanic, and keeps in shape. My mom’s really active too. She walks a mile every morning.”

“You think they’re a match for trained fighters?”

I threw up my hands in frustration. “You keep mentioning mercenaries, but we don’t know that. She’s a mobster, she doesn’t have an army. For all we know, she might not even have anyone there.” Saying that gave me another idea. “Wait, maybe she doesn’t. What if we just go up there and check it out, take out anyone who looks like a threat? Then I wouldn’t even have to talk to my parents.”

“The ones who took me were professionals, but—” Jack closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose with one hand. “Everett… You seem to be missing my point.” He opened his eyes and took my hands in his. “You can’t save them. We’ve done all we can. Now we just sit tight.”

“But—” I tried to pull away, but Jack squeezed my hands and gave me a sad look.

“Everett, I know you don’t want to lose them, but I want you to understand something.” He leaned closer and rested his forehead against mine. “I don’t want to lose you, either.”

I started shaking, and Jack put his arms around me and pulled me close.

“What if—”

“No, Everett. We can’t risk it.”

I swallowed. “I just want to talk to them. I sneak in, say my piece, and then get out.”

“Damn you, Everett. We agreed it’s a risk.” Jack tightened his arms around me and began massaging my shoulders.

“I know.” I leaned back into Jack. “I know it’s dangerous, but I just want to see my parents one last time. Have a chance to make peace with them.”

Jack sighed heavily. “I understand. I want to help you, but it doesn’t matter without a car to get up there.”

“You don’t have a car?” I sat back to regard him. “How did you get to the grocery store then?”

Jack laughed. “I walked. My car got mysteriously filled with bullet holes, remember?”

I stuck my tongue out at him. “If we get a car, you’ll agree to help?”

“You’re so stubborn, and you look before you leap.” Jack sighed. “I love it about you. I even like how bad you are at lying, although we are going to have to work on changing that if you’re going to keep your vampire nature a secret. But yes, I can understand. If I could go back, I’d want one last chance to see my parents.”

I chewed my lip. “So what now?”

“Let’s get a car.” Jack pulled out a phone and started scrolling through the contacts. “Too late to rent one, and everyone you know is out, obviously. Problem is, I’m still pretty new to town, and most of the people I know are connected to the office. We don’t want Stacy getting wind of this, so that narrows the list considerably.”

“The only person I’ve talked to that isn’t part of the offices is Emily. Or would she still be at the offices?” I said slowly.

“Not a bad idea. She fell asleep at the wheel and her car hit the freeway dividers. Not serious and the airbags went off, so she wasn’t hurt, just startled enough to trigger her transformation. Meant there weren’t any

witnesses, so she could just go back to her life.”

“Wait, if she crashed, her car won’t be drivable.”

“I talked more with her after you went to bed. She has to drive a lot for work. I bet she already has a new one by now, or at least a rental we could borrow.”

Jack scrolled to her name and lifted the phone to his ear.

“Hello, Emily. This is Jack. From PCA. Yes. How are you doing?”

Jack nodded along to her words, smiling. “Good, good. Listen, I have a favor to ask. My car broke down, and Everett and I need to run up to Mount Hood tonight.” There was another pause. “Yes, exactly. That would be great. It’s near Lloyd center. I’ll text you the address. Right then, see you soon.” He hung up and turned to me, smiling. “She is happy to lend us a car.

She’ll be picking us up in fifteen.”

***

Emily honked when she arrived, pulling up in a brand-new white sedan with a temporary plate taped in the rear window. Jack and I went out to meet her. She smiled warmly at Jack as she got out of the driver’s side, but her smile faded when she nodded her head to me.

Emily looked much better today. Her hair was done up, and she wore understated makeup and a professional suit. I was surprised, given how late it was, that she looked like she’d come straight from an office.

“Just drop me at the train station by the mall,” Emily said, leaning forward to talk to Jack over his shoulder as he adjusted her seat and mirrors to fit his taller frame. “I sent you my address, so bring the car back to me there in the morning when you get back.” She sat back again, giving me a side-eyed look.

“Thanks, Emily. We really appreciate it,” Jack said, starting the car up.

“I mean, I don’t mind helping you out, but why is he going with you?” Emily wrinkled her nose. “Zoe told me he’s a vampire. Is that why he stunk when I was a fox?”

“That’s right,” Jack said, backing into the street. “Our noses in our animal forms can smell that vampires are dead, and instinctively we dislike it. Part of why vampires and shapeshifters were at odds for so long.”

Emily’s face scrunched further. “It’s not going to linger in my car, is it?”

“Afraid so.” Jack glanced at Emily in the rearview mirror.

“Hey!” I protested, but Jack kept talking.

“Sorry. But the good news is that you’ll only smell it when you’re in your animal form. Plus, it’ll be good for you to get used to it. As you can see, vampires get a little testy when you imply that they stink.” Jack’s eyes canted over to me. “Everett, not your fault. Just stating facts.”

“Fine.” Emily crossed her arms.

“What is it you do for work, Emily?” I asked, trying to reduce the tension that was growing in the car.

“I saw you on the news.” Emily glared at me.

I slid down in my seat. “I’m innocent,” I mumbled.

“That news report has to do with why I’m taking him to Mount Hood,” Jack said, reaching over with one hand to rub my leg for a moment, before putting it back on the wheel. “But the details are up to him to reveal.”

I shook my head. “Maybe another time,” I mumbled.

Jack took pity on me. “Emily is a real estate agent.”

“That’s why I’m out so late. A lot of people only want to see houses after they get off work, so I’m often working in the evenings.”

Jack turned down the street near the mall and pulled over to the side of the road. “Here you go, Emily. Thanks again for letting us borrow your car.”

Emily opened her door, but lingered inside. “I have a showing at eleven tomorrow.”

“I’ll have it back first thing in the morning, promise,” Jack said.

Emily nodded. “I’ll hold you to that. And Everett?” She looked directly at me for the first time. “Good luck on getting your name cleared.”

“Thanks.”

She got out and walked away, while Jack put the car back into gear and headed for the freeway.

[guyawks]

#Thanksliving

“Welcome, everyone, to the first annual #thanksliving contest!”

Applause sounds across the cabin from the dozen strangers present. The interiors of the isolated cottage are a perfect Thanksgiving scene, straight out of a Macy’s catalog. Freshly cooked foods lay across the table while fall arrangements line the warm-toned furniture.

But it’s not for us to enjoy. Like with all influencers, these nice things are for display first-and-foremost.

“I know the people in this room have entered this underground Thanksgiving competition,” continues our host, Miles, “because you share an affinity for influencing.”

Next to me, my popular best friend Sienna, cheers.

“What better day,” Miles continues, “to show gratitude for the two most important things: social media….and our lives?”

“The rules of #thanksliving are as simple: you each have exactly 3 hours to post the hashtag #thanksliving as many times as you can on Instagram. The person with the highest number wins $10,000. The person with the lowest…”

Miles picks up a hunting knife from the table.

“…dies bloody.”

The group falls into nervous silence.

“May the best Instagrammer win!”

Immediately, the room erupts into a pandemonium of photo-snapping and screen-tapping. The guests waste no time in taking pictures left and right of the aesthetic holiday decor. Meanwhile, I just sit and watch.

Having already uploaded a dozen photos of the festivities, Sienna notices my lethargy.

“Bethany, you’ve only posted #thanksgiving once so far! Are you trying to lose?!”

“What’s the use?” I complain. “I’ll never get as many posts done as the rest of you. You’re a natural with thousands of followers.”

“Please Bethany!” protests Sienna. “You’ve got your own strengths—like grammar! Don’t give up!”

I merely sigh.

Frustrated, Sienna shakes her head and returns to captioning pictures of side-dishes.

“Time’s up!” Miles orders, hours later. “Put your phones down!”

The frenzy of uploads reluctantly subsides, quickly replaced with anticipation. Desperate, our group clamor around to hear the results as Miles tallies up the hashtags.

“I’ll start with what we’re all eager to hear: the player with the least #thanksliving hashtags. Coming in dead last with zero hashtags is…Sienna!”

Instantly, my friend’s serene demeanor turns to hysteria.

“What?! This can’t be! I posted over a hundred tags!”

“Actually, you’ve been posting ‘#thanksiiving’, not ‘#thanksliving’” clarifies Miles, poring over his tablet. “Your phone must have autocorrected your lowercase l’s to uppercase i’s. First rule of influencing—doublecheck your posts.”

Ruthlessly, the influencers plunge their hunting knives into Sienna. As her terrified eyes meet mine, a devilish grin spreads across my face. Finally, I drop my facade of innocence.

It wasn’t difficult to get my hands on “bestie” Sienna’s unlocked phone before the competition and change her autocorrect settings for “#thanksliving”. She may be a privileged princess—but she’s right that grammar’s my strength.

You don’t need to be good at social media to sabotage someone else’s.

[missesmckinnon]

It's really all my personal headcanon.

I view James as someone who went from a known people pleaser, known for pushing his basic needs aside to help others, to someone who still made other people happy, but learned to take care of himself at the same time. It makes him happy to see other people happy, and it's even better when he's the reason for their joy.

Lily isn't a people pleaser, but she enjoys making others laugh and smile. When she's around her friends, she's one of the first people they go to when they're sad or upset, because they know she'll be there for them to cheer them up. However, she can be absolutely malicious when someone deserves it.

I do agree with you on Sirius. He secretly cares deeply about others and the way they feel. I see Sirius as someone who has a strong sense of empathy and sympathy, but isn't used to dealing with it considering where he grew up. I think he views vulnerability as a weakness, and tries to cover it up by being "tough", but he can't help but crying when he sees a sad first year.

I had a hard time placing Evan in either category. I think that even though he's a Slytherin, and friends with some cutthroat people, he's actually quite kind and is able to take care of and empathize with others easily. I think this side of him is especially noticeable with the other Skittles and James, as Evan has an easier time being himself around his friends, and he enjoys being kind to James because James has always returned the favor.

Dorcas was also pretty difficult. I view her more as someone who's very intimidating when people first meet her (rightfully so), but she enjoys laughing with her friends, and even people she's not that close with. She has a soft spot for those in the years below her, and always takes time out of her day to check on the first years, as she knows very well what it's like to be homesick and nervous.

I can't recall knowing that much about Amelia in canon, but this entire fandom is 99% fanon, and what is canon tends to be changed or ignored. I see Amelia as very soft, and very kind. I believe that she would be very good friends with Peter, though she is less of a troublemaker. Her first priority with friends is making sure they're having a good time, and when she does get into fights with others, it always stops with a few words and she can't bring herself to curse someone out.

Regulus wouldn't care about stares or scowls he gets in the halls, and he doesn't like many people, so that alone places him in the second category.

Mary was interesting. I think she's very intimidating and scary to people she doesn't know, and I think she's very good at holding a grudge. One wrong move and you end up on her hit-list, which isn't a list you want to be on. She knows that people are afraid of her, and it makes her happy knowing that she has that kind of impact.

I sort of agree on Remus. He's definitely very insecure about his place, especially as he gets older and everyone starts maturing, but I think he hates (or dislikes, for a softer word) people before they can decide they hate him. It's easier for him that way, rejecting people before they reject him.

Barty was actually odd to think about. He doesn't care about others opinions one bit, but I think he has a desperate need to be liked. I headcanon that his mother died a few years before Hogwarts, and he was left alone at home to take care of himself because his dad was always at work and didn't care enough to come home. Barty is happy with his group of friends but I think he's very similar to Remus in this sense, deciding to make enemies of people before they get the chance to burn him. It makes him feel warm inside when he makes someone else laugh, since it fuels his need to have people love him.

Marlene is tough and competitive. She's a star Quidditch player and doesn't leave room for error on the team, even though James is captain (Frank before that). She doesn't mind that she's made quite a few enemies, as she has her friends, her parents, and her brothers, and that's all she needs. In fact, she enjoys the competition she gets from people that hate her, on and off the field.

Emmeline is very similar to Marlene, but the difference is she has a harder time making friends. While she is close with the marauders, valkyries, and skittles, I think Edgar and Amelia are her closest friends. Like Marlene, her competitive nature has made her a subject of dislike among many other students in her year, but she doesn't mind, for the same reasons Marlene doesn't. The biggest difference between Emmeline and Marlene, to me, is that Emmeline is a lot more insecure in herself and her place in the world.

It's all headcanons, though. This is just how I see the characters 🥰

James, Lily, Sirius, Evan, Dorcas, and Amelia: I like making other people happy. It’s nice to be the reason someone else is smiling.

Regulus, Mary, Remus, Barty, Marlene, and Emmeline: I take pride in the fact that people don’t like me. I hate you too, bitch.

[putellas11]

A/N: Thank you to everyone who requested a part 2 to Be Smart About This (🛏💥) and I’m sorry to took me so long to get around to it, I honestly just wasn’t planning on writing a part 2 but you know me... I aim to please.  Hope you enjoy!

Avoiding Suspicions (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

The stage is set for the clash against Chelsea. In the distance, you hear the clamor of thousands. You can’t see the fans yet, but you can certainly feel their anticipation and excitement. Surrounded by your teammates and opponents, you feel at peace with the familiar sounds of players stomping their cleats, jumping up and down to release their nervous energy.

In front of you is Alexia with her shoulders squared back and head held high. With the captain’s armband wrapped around her bicep and the club’s pennant secure in her hand, she carries herself in a similar manner to a commander preparing to lead her troops into battle. She stands tall, setting the example and instilling fear in the enemy.

It’s hard to believe this is the same woman you woke up next to this morning. Her hair a tangled mess, drooling over the pillow with slightly parted lips. Waking up before the alarm was set to go off allowed you a few precious minutes to admire her as she slept. You studied her face, smooth, with no hint of stress. You memorized the flutter of her eyelashes against her cheek and the pattern of her breaths. Most importantly, you recorded a video of her as evidence that she did in fact, snore.

“It’s a shame I didn’t get a proper good night’s rest before such an important game,” you say mid-yawn, stretching your arms out for a little dramatic effect.

Your voice breaks Alexia from her trance and she turns around to face you, a focused frown has now transformed into a smile.

“Well, you better get used to it,” she says, and for a brief moment it seems like she’s forgotten all about the game.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you ask with feign innocence, acting oblivious to the meaning behind her words.

“You know what it means.”

There’s no time to say anything else, but the look the two of you share speaks volumes.

The referee gives her signal and both teams walk out and onto the pitch to the roar of the crowd.

Game on.

___________

The team returns to Barcelona in great spirits after a 1-3 victory over Chelsea. With the semifinals almost within reach, football should be the only thing on your mind. Instead, all you can think about is Alexia and how incredible it felt to wake up with her in your arms. It was the first time the two of you shared a bed, but you hoped it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

A few days have passed since the Chelsea game, and Alexia has yet to provide you with any clarity on where you two stand. Any frustration that you feel is kept to yourself, however. You of all people know how difficult it is to put an end to a relationship— even if the love once shared no longer exists. If it wasn’t for the affection that reflects in her eyes every time she sees you, you’d be in a state of panic.

The last thing you expected was for Alexia to show up at your door on a random Tuesday night, eyes filled with tears and cheeks stained by the trails they left behind. When she sees you, she doesn’t hesitate to throw her arms around you, finding solace in your embrace.

“I broke up with her,” she murmurs, nuzzling her face into the crook of your neck.

You struggle to find the right words and ultimately decide it’s best to not say anything at all. Sometimes it’s just best to provide comfort through actions until the right words eventually do come along.

Now inside the apartment, Alexia opts to sit on the floor with her back against the sofa and her knees tucked into her chest.

You’re on a mission to find two wine glasses and the bottle you have stored away in case of emergencies. This gives you some time to collect your thoughts and accept the situation for what it truly is. Tonight, Alexia might just need you as a friend and you’re prepared to be just that. Everything else will have to wait.

You take a sit next to her on the floor and set the two glasses in the space between. Alexia watches in silence as you pour the wine and accepts the glass with a smile. The tears in her eyes have dried up and you take that as a good sign.

“When we got back from London, I wanted to end it that very same day,” Alexia finally breaks the silence, her finger gently tapping against the glass. “But we somehow got in another fight before I could even go and see her in person,” she lets out a dry chuckle, shaking her head in disbelief, “can you believe that?”

You know better than to answer that question, so you take a sip of the wine instead.

“Anyway, she refused to answer my calls so meeting up in person was impossible and you know breaking up with someone over text is not my thing.”

You nod as she speaks, reaching out to give her shoulder a light squeeze. “I get it, Ale. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

“I know, but I think you deserve to know what’s been going on,” she says, taking your hand with hers. “So, she finally decides to answer my texts and agrees to see me. When I get to her place, she’s not mad or upset. I mean, she starts touching me like we haven’t been fighting for a week straight!”

This all comes as a shock considering you’ve made every effort to know as little as possible of Alexia’s relationship— for obvious reasons. Whenever Alexia would talk about her in the locker room, you would just quietly walk away. If she ever tagged along to any of the team dinners or events, you’d stay as far away as possible from her. The little you do know of the relationship is thanks to Aitana who would always make sure to not spill too much.

“Has it always been this hot and cold?”

Alexia gives herself a moment to think, taking the occasional drink as she collects her thoughts. “Not in the beginning or else we would not have lasted this long,” she says with a sigh, “but once she got to see how busy my schedule can really get, things just… changed. All the sudden it turned into, you’re not spending enough time with me, Alexia. Or, even when we’re together all you can think about is football, Alexia. It’s been a constant Alexia this, Alexia that, and there’s only so much I can take.”

You’ve witnessed firsthand how hectic Alexia’s life can be, especially with Barça on the eve of yet another successful season. It’s no secret that she is the heart and face of the club, and while her presence in the spotlight has brought a lot of positive attention to the team, all good things inevitably must come at a cost. She has had to sacrifice so much and yet, not once have you heard her utter a single complaint.

As the night progresses, you learn more and more of Alexia’s relationship with her ex and while you’d never admit to her, or anyone for that matter, deep down you wish you had the mustered up the courage to fight for her sooner. Maybe, just maybe, you could have spared her from months of unhappiness.

“Do you think I can sleep here tonight?” she asks, hazy eyes locked on the empty wine bottle on the floor. “I can take the sofa so you don’t have to listen to me snore.”

You roll your eyes because there’s no way in hell you’re going to let her sleep on the sofa, not when you know what it’s like for her to be the first thing you see in the morning.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.” With the wine glasses set to the side, you stand up and reach your hand out to her, “come on.”

With a smile, Alexia takes your hand and lets you lead her to the bedroom.

Nothing happened that Tuesday night, but something did happen on Wednesday morning. It was Alexia who woke up first and therefore, it was her turn to take her precious time admiring you like she’s never been able to do before. Soft touches and trailing kisses taunted you away from your dreams.

When you opened your eyes and saw the look on her face, you just couldn’t resist.

It was inevitable.

________________________

Keeping your relationship with Alexia a secret from the team has proven to be much more difficult than you anticipated. To not draw any suspicions to the relationship, you’ve made it a point to arrive for training 15 minutes or so after Alexia. Sometimes you arrive a little later, but that’s only when a certain someone goes a little crazy the night before and you have to masterfully conceal the hickeys that decorate your neck.

Despite your best efforts, it only took a week for a suspicious Patri to pull you aside to ask if there was anything going on between you and Alexia. Apparently, Alexia held on to your hand for a little too long during a partner drill and that was enough evidence to warrant an interrogation.

A couple weeks later Mariona cornered you before practice wanting to know the reason behind your new ‘glow’, as she so put it, and if it had anything to do with Alexia replacing her as your roommate. Far from being the best liar in the world, you were able to come up with a somewhat believable excuse and managed to temporarily ease suspicions. Still, their eyes always seemed to follow you whenever Alexia would get a little too close.

Fully aware of all the eyes on you and Alexia, drastic measures needed be taken.

Fortunately, you know of a room at the training ground that is pretty much abandoned. You know it be abandoned because in your time with the club, you have not seen a single soul step in or out. It’s cluttered from floor to ceiling with broken machinery, torn up cleats, and the memories of the past generations of players.

A room that is never occupied now serves as the perfect spot for you to sneak away with Alexia when the desire to be touched by her gets too strong to ignore. Still in the very early stages of the relationship, it’s impossible to go too long without a kiss or a touch, so the two of you have become frequent visitors.

Inside the room, all that can be heard is the muffled sounds of soft moans and wet, needy lips meeting. The occasion hiss of air drawn from desperate lungs as fingernails dig into skin. Alexia has you pinned down against the wall with her body, her hands exploring every inch of exposed skin with an unquenchable greed. Her hand is just beginning to slip under your shirt when you stop her.

“What’s the matter?” she asks, breathlessly, a mix of confusing and lust in her eyes.

“I know that look,” your thumb running across her bottom lip, “we’re gonna need a whole lot more privacy for all the things you want to do to me right now.”

“Maybe you’re right…” her hands running across your back, leaning in to breathe in your scent, “you do tend to get a little loud,” she teases, nibbling at your earlobe.

A warmth creeps up your neck and into your cheeks, “so you’re saying you  prefer me to be quiet?”

Alexia pulls back, her gaze darkened, “definitely not.”  

When she tangles her hands in your hair and pulls your face back to hers, you have no choice but to accept that there will never be such thing as being quiet with Alexia. It’s impossible to be quiet when you’re finally experiencing what you’ve thought about— craved, for so long. Her touch on your skin, her tongue in your mouth have your senses on overload so no, being quiet is out of the question.

They say forbidden fruit is the sweetest, but now that Alexia is all yours, you can’t imagine her tasting any sweeter.

You’re so lost in her touch that you fail to hear the footsteps approaching. When the door opens with a creaking sound, you both freeze. Your eyes are shut tight, scared to face reality and whoever it is that has just discovered the secret you’ve worked so hard to keep.

Surprisingly, Alexia lets out a soft chuckle, “oops.”

Unlike Alexia, you’re still utterly mortified so you’re only capable of opening one eye to make out the figure standing by the door.

Aitana.

The younger midfielder looks back and forth between the two of you, her hands on her hips. Out of everyone on the team who could have possibly walked in on you and Alexia, of course it has to be Aitana. The one person who has always encouraged you to take it slow with Alexia, to be smart and most importantly, respect Alexia’s girlfriend— now ex.

Her expression is blank, giving you no clues as to how she feels about the scene she just stumbled into. You stand frozen in your spot; your only comfort comes from Alexia caressing the palm of your hand.

“Are you two together?” Aitana finally asks, still no hint of emotion on her face.

You share a look with Alexia and reach an unspoken agreement. There’s no point in hiding it anymore.

“Yes.”

Aitana nods twice, and then much to your surprise, the corners of her lips begin to curl up into a big smile. “I knew it!” she exclaims, throwing her hands up in air in excitement. With a squeal, she runs up to you and Alexia and pulls you both in for a hug. “It’s about damn time!”

You let out of sigh of relief at Aitana’s reaction, relieved that all your concerns have turned out to be figments of your imagination. Despite always advising you to be cautious, Aitana has always been supportive of your feelings for Alexia. So in the end, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that she’s happy to see her two closest friends together after so much back and forth. That, or she’s happy because she won’t have to listen to you anymore go on and on about how much it hurts to not be with Alexia.

“I’m really happy for you two,” she says, her expression now full of joy and affection, “I want to know everything, but first, you have to help me find an old rebounder that’s hidden somewhere in this mess.”

With Aitana focused on rummaging through the cluttered room, Alexia lifts your hand to place a soft kiss on your knuckles, “looks like we don’t have to keep this a secret anymore.”

You give her a hand a little squeeze, “no, not anymore, cariño.”

With one last look, together you join Aitana on the search for the missing piece of equipment.

[thestoryden]

Hello, i hope you have a wonderful day ! My request is : Reader has been bullied by Jason's group and the cheerleaders, she decides to visit Eddie at his house for him to comfort her. (they are quite close) (Afterwards if an idea comes to you I'll let you do it ❤️)

Target

Eddie x Bullied!Reader Warnings: Blood, Bullying, Violence, Fluff, Smoking, Comfort, Language Word Count: 1.4 k

This came out far less fluffy than I anticipated, so fair to say I will be making a very fluffy sequel to this. I want to capture that cuteness and the soft moments. / Edit: the sequel didn't scratch the fluff itch. I think it might do better as a series

Once upon a time you had been Chrissy’s best friend. You had been the perfect fit, you had the award winning smile and were kind to everyone around you. But, your kindness had gotten you in trouble to the point of no return. Towards the end of junior year you had come upon Jason beating up Eddie. Jason had accused Eddie of taking something of his, and used that to justify his brutality against him. You threatened to tell Chrissy about what he was doing, and in response he had told Chrissy you made a play to get with him behind her back. Chrissy, wanting to see the best in Jason, believed him. You were devastated by the betrayal, but what happened next you couldn’t have possibly foreseen. Everyone you had called a friend for the past three years now sought your destruction. In their eyes you had dared to try and usurp Chrissy’s power and now her courtiers were after you. At first it wasn’t so bad. Just insults and nasty notes from the rest of the cheer squad. Then it was being shoved into walls and hit on the back of the head from the basketball team. Through all of this you had made fast friends with Eddie, who you had saved from a beating which he had actually taken to save a younger member of his club. He comforted you when the bullying happened. You comforted him when he flunked senior year for the second time. You assumed the bullying would cool down over the summer, but you were wrong. You had gotten a letter telling you not to come to summer cheer practice or else. Which meant you were off the squad. That night you cried hard in Eddie’s arms. He wanted to ease your pain so he offered to smoke with you. You accepted just wanting to relax for a moment. You two spent the summer together planning out D&D sessions, listening to music, and learning how to play bass. School was about to start again and you were nervous. Eddie reassured you that senior year was a breeze. You laughed in his face in response. Then you had gotten the fateful letter in the mail right before school started. In it Chrissy had said she had wanted to make up and be friends again. She wanted to meet you at the school and talk everything out. You wanted to be friends with Chrissy again and were elated to get her letter. That leads you to your current situation waiting for Chrissy in the school parking lot at about forty-five past seven. 

It becomes apparent to you that Chrissy is in fact not showing up. You had biked here about an hour ago and no sign of Chrissy this whole time. “Maybe I read the letter wrong,” you think. You look back over the letter. You are right on the time, place, and day. You start to mount your bike to head off when you hear a car pull up. 

“Thank God,” you say, “I thought you weren’t coming for a second.” 

You turn around and are greeted by Jason and his friends. 

“Miss me?” he asks. 

You freeze for a second unsure of what to do. Two of the players get out of the car and run up to you. Grabbing you on either side they hall you towards the trunk of Jason’s car. They open it up 

“Please don’t do this, please I’m begging you.” you reason. 

They hoist you off the ground and throw you in. You hit your head on a tire iron. The trunk slams behind you, leaving you in complete darkness. 

“Let’s have some fun boys!” you hear Jason yell. 

The music blares and the car bumps up and down the country roads of Hawkins then there is a sudden stop. The trunk opens with a click and there are bright lights shining in your face. Jason pulls you out onto the tarmac. He yanks you up to your feet. Tears are streaming down your face. 

“Please please don’t do this.” 

Jason drags you in front of his car, the headlights illuminate the dark road. You shake violently, sputtering pleas begging him to let you go. He raises his hand with a flashlight in it and brings it down on to your face. Striking on the side opposite where the tire iron hit. 

“Listen here you freak slut.” he seethed, “In a second, I’m going to get back in my car, and I’m going to tell you to run. When those words leave my mouth you are going to run like your life depends on it. And we are going to hunt you down like the dog you are. Got it.” 

Tears well up in your eyes and snot runs down your face. Blood drips down your forehead, matting into your bangs and crusting into your eye brows. Your throat tightens and your lips tremble. 

“Jason,” you croak, “Please.” 

He hops into his car and gives you a smile. 

“Run,” he says. 

At first you start off slowly as you can not see where you are going, but then you hear the engine rev behind you. You bolt into the dark. Your breathing gets heavy but the car sounds fainter, so you keep going. Then suddenly it is on your right and one of the boys is leaning out the side with a bat held up high. It makes a sickening thud when it hits your body. You stumble onto the ground. You hear the tires screech as the car flips round. The gravel crunches as it slowly approaches you. You begin crawling on your hands and knees into the woods.Your palms hit the pine straw and you attempt to stand, grabbing on to a tree for support. The car idles on the road and one of its doors slam. 

“Where are they?” Jason shouts. 

He flashes his light into the woods and sees your silhouette. You run faster than you ever had before. The boys flashlights sweep over the trees as you zigzag between the brush patches. Then you see a faint glow in the distance and head for it. It flickers and moves. Your whole body hurts as it heaves with your lungs trying to suck in as much air as possible. You hit a rock and tumble towards the wavering hope. You look up and can faintly make out a silhouette. 

“Please you have to help me.” you mumble. 

Everything is spinning and you can not reorient yourself. An arm slips under you and lifts you off the earth. Before you can get your bearings you are half running half being dragged till you hit a tree line.There are street lights and trailers and a gravel road. Your companion takes you towards a trailer. You are pushed through the entrance and the door clicks locked behind you. You look up from the floor to see a curtain of hair and a jean vest. 

“Eddie?” you mumble faintly. 

“What is going on?” he says. 

You try to explain what exactly happened, but your words become muddled. Everything is going in and out of focus. 

“No, no, no. You have to stay awake.” Eddie says panicked. 

He runs into the kitchen and grabs a towel and some paper napkins. He fills the towel with ice. He rushes back to your side and cradles your head into his lap. He gently blots away the dried blood and holds the napkins to your head trying to stop the excess bleeding. The light of the living room shines around his head making him look angelic. You laugh a little. You reach up your hand to his face and hold it softly. He smiles back at you with concern, before placing the cool compress on your forehead. The cold and damp sensation breathes a bit of life back into you. 

“It’s cold,” you groan. 

“It’s supposed to be,” he replies.

He pulls you into him and rises shouldering your weight as he drags you to his room. You try your hardest to stay uprightish as much as you can. You let out a cry when you fall into the bed. Your body explodes with new pain spreading out from your back. Eddie winces and rests his hand against your cheek. He sits next to you. 

“We're going to get through this okay.” he whispers. 

In your haze you finally say what you have always wanted to, “Eddie if this is my last night on earth I just want to let you know something, I love you.”

[aroninshonour]

OOOOOH @fruity-legos !!! I'VE BROUGHT YOU YAP SESSION #2 !!!

2 months after the crash.

The crew is now stranded in space. 5h3 ship is covered in emergency foam, sealing off any possible holes into space. Jimmy is now captain.

They sit in the louge discussion whether or not to break into the cargo room. They haven't yet since if they were saved, and the cargo room was broken into, then additional pay would be docked from their final checks. (Goes to show how much the company actually gives a shit about their employees...regardless of the situation.)

Eventually they agree due to dwindling supplies. Jimmy gets to captains scanner from the cockpit, as it's needed to open the cargo room.

On the way over Jimmy visits Curly, who everyone(besides Jimmy obviously) believes is the one whk crashed the ship, in the medbay. His body is is covered in burns. His eyes lids, lips, and some limbs. (Hands, feet...parts of his legs and arms. You get the idea.) All of this removing his ability to talk or even move.

Jimmy berates Anya about not being able to feed Curly his painkillers, as it's supposedly her only job. But she gets/feels sick trying to do it so, Jimmy instead is the one who does.

Of course, the player when first playing this doesn't know the backstory yet, so this really just makes Anya seem like a nervous person but really she's kept Curly alive for the past 2 months while at LEAST 2 months pregnant.

Jimmy force feeds Curly the painkillers, Anya no longer in the medbay and instead distressed in the lounge due to Curlys pained sounds.

Jimmy then goes to talk to Swansea, who starts and guards the utility room, claiming it's full of foam that he needs to clear out and if anyone else goes in there they could cause a hole and everyone gets sucked out into space. Everyone respects this rule.

Jimmy finally gets the scanner and opens the cargo room. It's massive. Boxes everywhere...they open a box and...mouth? Wash? THEY FOUND A TON OF FUCKING MOUTHWASH WHOOPITY-FUCKING-DO. So much for there being any useful supplies in there... they're wasting a year of their lives hauling mouthwash 🥰

Anya points out that the sugar content meant to make it more palatable offsets it's effectiveness as a mouthwash. Swansea immediately notices the Ethanol content being 14% and breaks his 14 year sobriety streak by drinking some. (Ew...it's mouthwash bro wtf.)

3 months after the crash.

Jimmy wakes up from he spot on the floor in the lounge, hearing Curlys pained cries from the area. He goes to check on him, and not knowing if he's had his painkillers yet or not(They appear to be running low...), he decides to go find Anya.

He finds Anya and Swansea in the cockpit having a late night discussion. Anya seems to be crying and telling Swansea she completely understands. (Wonder what that's about...perhaps the pods? The foam maybe?)

Jimmy, seeming to just ignore that, asks if Curlys had his meds yet. She says no.

Returning to the medbay, He goes to give Curly his meds. Jimmy also starts expressing concern in how the crew is perceiving him. (Perhaps assuming that Anya and Swansea were discussing him?)

He's upset at the responsibility that comes with being captain, blaming Curly as if he was the reason he had to take charge in the first place. He finally gives Curly his pills...the audio seems different from last time though. ...Jimmy. what did you do? Beat the poor bastard? The audio suggests it. That's for sure...

4 months after the crash.

Jimmy finds Daisuke laying down on the floor, a bottle of mouthwash in hand. (MY BOY FHSKGKDKG😭😭)

Dai reveals that his mum found him this internship. He took it so he could prove that he was worth something after completing the job. He hopes his mum doesn't blame herself. He tells Jimmy to take the mouthwash from him. He does.

Jimmy then finds Anya in the louge, who herself is considering drinking the mouthwash too.

She then tells Jimmy there's an additional stash of painkillers in a wall mounted medbox. However, the box is behind foam, so he'd have to chop carefully as not to cause a breach.

Jimbo goes to retrieve the axe from Swansea, who is drunkenly dancing infront of the largest monitor. He gives it up...but only after he's slammed it into the monitor behind him.

Jimmy takes the axe and manages to reach the box.

Anya shows her gratitude in congratulating him for it. Seeming two reasons for this: She knows if Jimmy feels like he's contributing he's less likely to become angry, and to request him to give Curly his meds again, as it's still something Anya struggles to do. Her being about 5 or so months pregnant by now naturally makes it harder for her to stomach it.

Jimmybimbo over here blows up on her about it despite it literally being his fault she's nauseous. Claiming that he's the only one doing anything and trying to fix things. (He did 5 things over 5 months ... most of which weren't even his ideas so......)

Jimmy goes to "Give Curly his fucking pills" and tells him hw understand how hard it is being captain is now and that he promises to save them both.

WEEWOO !! Idk how many more of these I'll have but WE'RE GETTING THERE!! YAAAAAAAY!

This is kinda the more "boring" stuff I guess but eh 🤷

ITS ALL IMPORTANT 👹👹

Yap session #2, completed

I'm bored can you Yap about the plot/lore of mouthwashing or something

Let me sob in the bathroom and do the dishes first but YES I CAN AND WILL JUST GIVE ME LIKE. Idk however long it'll take me to type anything out after I finish my chores

I'LL PUT IT IN A REBLOG THO !!! 😋😋